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ELCAT expansion may be delayed

Date: 10/18/2011

Oct. 17, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW — It may be back to the drawing board for the Designer Selection Committee charged with finding a contractor to perform the renovations needed to give East Longmeadow Cable Access Television (ELCAT) more space.

The committee hosted a mandatory walk-through on Oct. 5 for contractors hoping to submit a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), with only two potential bidders in attendance.

Representatives from RDK Engineers of Amherst and William Sloan Associates of Winchester were the two qualified contractors expressing interest in the project. Valley Communications was also present, but would be involved in the implementation of electronic equipment and not in the construction phase of the project.

This poses a problem for East Longmeadow, as the Selection Committee is required to rate at least three companies submitting RFQs, according to Town Administrator Nick Breault, a member of the committee.

“This was a mandatory walk through, so if someone submitted a proposal without having attended, we would be compelled by state law to throw it out,” he said.

Because of the lack of interest, the committee may be forced to restart the entire process, but Breault said he would talk to the Inspector General’s office to see if there is any latitude.

“There can be different interpretations of the rules in this case,” he said.

ELCAT is seeking to expand its studio at the high school as part of an effort to offer more programming on a third channel and give students more learning opportunities in the field of broadcasting.

Channels 5 and 19 will still broadcast local and government programming, respectively, while the new channel will carry educational content, which will be created primarily by students.

Now confined to a space measuring approximately 24 feet by 20 feet, ELCAT conducts its editing and production, as well as its ELCAT News program in-studio, Don Maki, director of ELCAT.

The renovation plan involves ELCAT moving from its current facility to a much larger facility, which will be located in the garage and auto shop behind the school.

Maki told the contractors present that he hoped to make the new studio space multi-functional.

He said the goal was not to only create a television programming stage because the majority of ELCAT’s programming is shot remotely outside of the studio.

“Even if we did ELCAT News and two talk shows, we’re talking maybe four or five of the 80 hours of programming being shot here,” he said.

Maki said he also hoped for the new studio to have office space for his part-time and full-time staff.



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