Each of three scenarios has costs associated with them, even keeping the dispatch centers separate.
Results of the regional dispatch study are in, but no decisions have been made whether Monson, Palmer and Hampden police departments will consolidate their emergency dispatch services.
Monson Police Chief Stephen Kozloski Jr. briefed selectmen last week about the 81-page document released by Aecom of Virginia.
Aecom recommends that the three towns create a regional communications center and possibly look for other communities to participate. But it also noted that each community is facing budgetary issues that are not expected to improve, and a consolidation would create additional costs.
The other two options were to keep everything as is, or to share key systems such as the 911 system, but continue to operate each center independently.
Kozloski said there is state grant money available if the towns opt to create a regional center. That center also could be used to house prisoners. Monson is the only one of the three Police Departments that lacks a lock-up facility.
“We’re presenting it for discussion. We have got to decide where we want to go from here,” Kozloski said.
He told selectmen to keep it in the back of their minds as budgets change and the economy improves.
Kozloski said he would support the consolidation “in an ideal world if the money was available.” While it would cost more, he said there would be significant benefits regarding training, infrastructure and the delivery and level of services.
It would also help Monson comply with an impending state mandate to have emergency medical dispatchers who will be certified to give out medical-related assistance by telephone, he said.
Aecom recommends two dispatchers be on duty at all times – one for regular dispatching, the other for medical calls. Monson now only has one dispatcher on duty, to handle emergency calls only.
Aecom’s report is available on the Monson police website at www.monson-ma.gov/Public_Documents/MonsonMA_Police/RECCFeasibilityStudy.pdf
Kozloski said each scenario has costs associated with it, even keeping the dispatch centers in their current locations. Renovations could cost up to $1.1 million, Aecom stated.
Aecom’s report listed environmental problems in Monson’s and Palmer’s dispatch centers.
Issues with “black mold” were cited in Monson, although the chief said the town has addressed that problem. Aecom said air quality concerns in Palmer and Monson should be addressed immediately. Aecom said Palmer has “dead fowl carcasses in the attic near critical pieces of equipment” and that asbestos tiles are in use, presenting a hazard to employees. Aecom said in the report that Palmer’s dispatch center air quality was expressed to be “not capable of supporting human life” over a specified period of time.
Hampden’s dispatch center was called a “much cleaner environment,” but Aecom said the desk is directly in front of the window, presenting an unsafe environment with ready access to dispatch.
Palmer is the largest town of the three with approximately 13,000 people, followed by Monson with 8,500 and 5,000 in Hampden. The dispatch study was done through a $50,000 grant that the towns secured through the state 911 Department.
Palmer Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said he thinks there may be some benefit to regionalizing the dispatch center, especially as there is grant money to offset the project costs. But Frydryk said they have not been told just how much money there would be, and each town would have to invest more money in dispatch services than they do now.
For example, the total capital costs to build a regional center would be approximately $1 million, but that doesn’t include the cost of the building itself, or salaries. The total cost per year for each community was estimated by Aecom at $253,000 for Monson, a savings of $13,000; $385,000 for Palmer, an increase of $8,600; and $171,000 for Hampden, an increase of $27,000.
Frydryk said the state has been pushing departments to regionalize so it can cut down on the number of dispatch centers for which it provides equipment.
Two years ago, Kozloski and Frydryk also discussed the possibility of merging the two police departments, but that “kind of fell on deaf ears” and did not go any further, Frydryk said.
Amherst, Hadley, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Belchertown, Pelham, South Hadley, South Hadley Fire District 2, Ludlow, Ware, Wilbraham and East Longmeadow have expressed interest in a regional dispatch center, and Aecom is involved in that project as well. Amherst Town Manager John P. Musante has asked communities interested in joining the regional emergency dispatch center to commit by Feb. 1.