Dispatch center receives $6.9M grant

SWAMPSCOTT – A proposed regional emergency communication dispatch center has been awarded a $6.9 million grant and Town Meeting will be asked to vote on whether to enter into a service agreement with the new center.
Swampscott is one of 13 communities interested in participating in a regional dispatch center for fire and police calls.
Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said the Executive Office of Public Safety announced the grant for the proposed facility, which would be located on property at Middleton Jail.
?My understanding is this facility will be up and running as of July 1, 2010,” Maylor said. “This is cutting edge technology for Massachusetts. It is being viewed as a model for regional dispatch center throughout the state. A few years from now instead of having more than 250 dispatch centers statewide there could be a dozen.”
Maylor said the grant would pay for the new equipment and start-up costs but in future years the town would be responsible for a portion of the operating costs for the combined police and fire dispatch.
?I’m trying to (figure) out what the annual cost would be for the town,” he said. “Right now we are paying $70,000 a year (to Lynn) for fire dispatch.”
Maylor said the desk at the police department is manned by one patrolman and one officer 24 hours a day seven days a week.
?I envision a model that would allow us to have one person at the desk,” he said. “That would free up an officer to be back on the street. In the long term it would be cost-neutral or better.”
Maylor said plans call for putting a temporary installation on property belonging to Middleton jail and initially the center would be housed in a portable facility.
The other 12 communities involved are Marblehead, Middleton, Topsfield, Danvers, North Andover, Ipswich, Hamilton, Wenham, Essex, Manchester, Beverly and Methuen.
?It would provide state-of-the-art service that enhances what we currently provide,” he said. “The governance body would be police and fire chiefs from each community with a regional director that oversees dispatch.”
Maylor said the group has already hired a project manager with funding made available through the Essex County Sheriff’s Office.
?We need to consolidate service and improve services through regional relationships,” he said. “We’ve been talking about this concept for awhile. What the community gains is a state grant paying for all new equipment. The regional center will create uniform records and everyone will have data in the same format.”
Maylor said selectmen could enter into a service agreement without the approval of Town Meeting but wanted to allow Town Meeting to have input.
?In the future Town Meeting may have to act for funding the annual operating costs,” he said. “So we wanted to give them an opportunity to decide if this is the direction it would like to go.”
In addition to Town Meeting approval, Maylor said he would need to engage in impact bargaining with the police department.