The Marin County Board of Supervisors and other government bodies will be back in the Board chambers of the iconic Marin County Civic Center building starting this week after a three-month closure for audio and technology upgrades.
The Board of Supervisors and other county meetings that are usually held in the building were moved to the nearby Showcase Theater while the chambers got state mandates upgrades to provide more accessibility in meetings for both remote and in-person attendees, according to a news release from the Board of Supervisors.
The Civic Center was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1957, who died before the first building, the Administration Building, was completed in 1962, according to the county and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which works to preserve his work and legacy, according to the nonprofit organization’s website.
The Board chambers got upgrades in technology that will improve audio and visual quality for members of the public who want to attend meetings remotely. Installing a reliable way for two-way communication was also part of the work, which was required by a state law passed in 2025.
The law, Senate Bill 707, gave legislative bodies around the state a deadline of this summer to comply with the new mandate to improve access for those who cannot physically attend meetings.
The Board chambers received new microphones, monitors, additional and new camera angles, and better graphics displays to make presentations easier to see and understand, according to the county’s statement.
In-person attendees to meetings will see English language subtitles on monitors and will have access to hearing assistance devices or can download an app to provide better audio quality.
The work was done under a contract for over $1.1 million with Prime Electric that was allocated from the county’s general fund in October.
Besides the Board of Supervisors, the meeting chambers are used by the Planning Commission, the Marin Housing Authority, the Marin County Open Space District Board of Directors, and the Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Board of Directors, according to the county.
The Planning Commission will be the first to use the new technology when it meets on Monday at 1 p.m.