The Regional District of Central Kootenay’s new board room furniture was used for the first time Thursday. The new table has seating for the 20 board directors, who adjusted to the new microphone system which is at each desk and the difference in voice level when using the mic is audible.
RDCK board chair John Kettle said the room can be used as an emergency services room too. He explained that the large oval structure breaks apart into separate desks meaning the staff would not have to be relocated in the event that it was used as a emergency service centre in an incident like the slide at Johnsons Landing.
“Over the life of this furniture, over the next 20 years, it will have served its purpose,“ said Kettle.
Last April RDCK directors approved a $182,000 contract with Graphic Office on Vancouver Island to supply new office furniture for their Nelson office. The furniture was part of an overall office renovation totalling about $662,000 before taxes. The board table alone cost over $36,000.
However, it resulted in an outcry from Cowan's Office Supply of Nelson, which actually had a lower bid. The regional district defended its decision, saying the higher bid better met their specifications based on a staff review.
— With files from Greg Nesteroff
(CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Regional District of Central Kootenay bought new chairs to go along with its new boardroom table. In fact, chairs were not part of the purchase.)