New software will provide live closed captions for meetings

GRF BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

by Ruth Osborn

Communications Director

The GRF Board met March 24 to address a full agenda in a meeting that was nearly three hours long. At the top of the meeting, GRF Vice President Vicki Burdman accepted $25,885 from Golden Age Foundation (GAF) President Anna Derby to make closed captioning available in two clubhouses.

This will allow hearing and vision impaired people to fully participate in meetings and club events by translating audio into text with a 95% accuracy. The accuracy will be bumped to 99% for important GRF meetings that include public comment because AI captioning will be combined with human transcription to maximize accuracy.

The system also provides real-time translation into more than 20 languages, including Korean, Chinese and Spanish, so all residents can follow discussions in their preferred languages.

It’s a win-win for everyone, agreed the board who unanimously approved the amenity and thanked the GAF for its generous donation to fund the lion’s share.

Upon the recommendation of the Operations Committee, the board agreed to implement the Hearing-Impaired Closed Captioning Project in nine rooms in Clubhouse 3 and for GRF Board and other meetings in Clubhouse 4. The project cost was mostly covered by the GAF. The GRF will cover the remaining project balance, estimated at $4,000.

“This is what Leisure World is all about,” said Burdman, who helped spearhead the effort. “This is an inclusive program that will help stimulate more participation” in meetings and club events.

The project began with a request from Impaired Vision and Hearing Club Vice Presidents Don Craig and Sharon Kohn. They asked the GRF to provide real-time closed captioning during meetings and events to ensure effective communication for all residents. The GRF Operations Committee agreed, enlisting the aid of GRF IT Director Marcelo Mario, who researched and priced the project.

“There was a lot of effort put into this program. I’m very proud to have been part of it,” said Burdman, “and I want to thank Anna Derby and the GAF.”

Screens will be installed in nine rooms in Clubhouse 3, and people will be able to view captions on screens or on their personal devices. There will be an ongoing cost of about $12,000 for captioning software and licenses.

In other business, the board considered the following. It is a partial list. The meeting can be livestreamed in its entirety at lwsb.com.

Refurbishment of Administration Lobby

Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board voted to update the Administration Building’s first floor lobby area. The upgrade will unify the area with the newly remodeled Stock Transfer Office and include new directional signage, a GRF logo and new paint for a total amount not to exceed $13,004.02, reserve funding.

Clubhouse 6 HVAC System

The board voted to spend about $42,000 to remove a dozen HVAC rooftop units—in addition to IT rooftop antennas— while Clubhouse 6 is being reroofed and reinstalling them upon completion.

The project cost includes a 20% contingency. In addition, the board unanimously agreed that temporary air conditioning for the first and second floors and will be necessary as the clubhouse will be open during the roof replacement. That is expected to cost $13,500, for a total project cost of $70,190, from reserve funding.

The board authorized funding for the Clubhouse 6 roof replacement in February.

Veterans Plaza Concrete Resurface Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board voted to spend up to $39,200, which includes a contingency, to replace concrete at Veterans Memorial Plaza.

Pedestrian Gate Access System Against the recommendation of the Operations Committee, the board voted to send a $318,260 proposal to replace the access system for Leisure World’s seven pedestrian gates back to committee to reassess the plan. As presented, the upgrade included new identification cards that could one day provide access to all LW amenities.

The project has been deliberated for months, with costs whittled down from an original estimate of $462,937. The gates now rely on defunct mechanical card readers that are no longer manufactured or supported. They require daily repairs with makeshift solutions by Service Maintenance to keep them operational.

Sound Equipment Replacement Upon the recommendation of the Member Services Committee, the board approved the purchase of a new portable sound system for Clubhouse 1 at a cost not to exceed $5,187.16, reserve funding.

The sound equipment replaces a defunct portable system and will be used by clubs such as Karaoke and Aloha Ukulele, among others.

The board approved a project that will replace concrete at Veterans Plaza.Stock Image