The auditorium in the new Andalusia City Hall building located on East Three Notch Street will have "state-of-the-art" audio and visual equipment in it, said Planning, Development and Facility Director Andy Wiggins.

The general budget for the new electronic devices will be approximately $18,000-$21,000, according to Wiggins.

The building will be wired with high speed internet, either DSL or cable connection, throughout, added Wiggins. A projector in the auditorium, along with an approximate 10 feet by 13 feet viewing screen, will have a direct link capability to a laptop for presentations.

Also the sound system for the auditorium will be integrated with video through a master board in a separate room.

"There was a bid for the sound system of City Hall, and Wise Electric will be the supplier of speakers and microphones for the auditorium," Wiggins said. "The speakers will be set in surround formation, engineered specifically for the acoustics of the room."

Mayor Earl Johnson called the future auditorium a "multi-purpose" room.

"This will give us capabilities we haven't had before," Johnson said. "There will be visual enhancements, including DVDs, Powerpoint presentations, programs of safety, and others imaginable."

There could be public usage of the auditorium in the future, added Wiggins. There will be an approximate 200 person capacity for the room, and the seats are scheduled to be installed around September 15, Wiggins said.

"The seating will be arranged in theater-style, with carpet running down the aisles of the rows," he said. "There will also be plenty of room for wheelchair seating."

There will be several security cameras, positioned outside the building, Wiggins commented.

"Some of the cameras will be visible, and some will be hidden," he said. "The cameras will be accessible through internal use, also. There will be a computer program allowing individuals who are linked to the network in the building access to the security cameras outside."

Wiggins added personnel of the building will work closely with the Andalusia Police department in security measures.

Wiggins is optimistic about the City Hall, which is scheduled to be ready in October.

"This building (and its equipment) is on a 50 year plan," he said. "It will carry us into the future without the hassle of remodeling too much."

There is so much space in the building, Wiggins added, some of the rooms won't be immediately utilized.

"A couple of the rooms will remain vacant for future personnel of the City," he said. "Also, there is 5,000 square feet of space on the first floor which we'll initially use only for storage."