ATHOL — After the town voted in February to withdraw from an 2-year-old intermunicipal agreement to regionalize the town’s dispatch services, the state is presenting a new option.
Frank Pozniak, executive director of the state 911 Department, tasked with coordinating and implementing enhanced 911 service in Massachusetts, sent Athol Town Manager Shaun A. Suhoski a letter detailing new option, one where Gardner and Athol could execute a new agreement — one different from the selectmen reversing their February vote or canning the agreement and forcing the department to repay $739,564.54 in state money for the project.
The original plan had Gardner consolidating its police and fire dispatch with that of Athol and operate in a regional emergency communication center in the new Gardner police station.
Pozniak said this new agreement would designate Athol as a limited secondary public-safety answering point, a place responsible for answering emergency calls and dispatching services accordingly, and Gardner as a regional PSAP that receives all 911 calls and transfers them to the Athol Police Department. This, Pozniak, said, would have to go into effect no later Sept. 1.
According to the details outlined by Pozniak, this is how it would work:
Upon confirmation that it received an Athol 911 call, the Gardner regional PSAP would be required to transfer that call to the Athol Police Department, which would be equipped with limited secondary PSAP 911 call processing equipment and related circuits and maintenance services by the state 911 Department” at the department’s expense.
Under this third option, Pozniak said, the regional PSAP in Gardner would get development grant money. Pozniak also stated the 911 Department would prefer if Gardner handled emergency medical dispatch for Athol’s 911 calls, but the two towns can make that decision for themselves in the new agreement.
The Gardner regional PSAP would have to operate during the mandatory 18-month “opt-out period” that started when selectmen voted to exit the agreement and will end on Aug. 18, 2018. During this time, the towns would be required to mediate any disputes and work their best to continue their relationship long term. The town would also have to provide the 911 Department with monthly status updates and give their strongest efforts to entering into relationships with other communities to reduce the number of PSAPs in the state.
Pozniak’s letter, which can be read in full at http://bit.ly/2s8T61T, states Athol must respond by July 19, which is 75 days after receipt of the May 5 letter in which Pozniak stated the department would re-route Athol’s 911 calls to Gardner and require the repayment of $739,564.54 in state money if the vote to withdraw was not reversed.
Athol officials continue to have misgiving about the state’s response.
Selectboard Chairman Lee Chauvette said Thursday that all board members feel it is unacceptable for the department to transfer Athol’s 911 calls simply because Athol opted out of the intermunicipal agreement, which he said did not contain any language regarding when an opt-out could occur.
Chavuette said Selectmen Steve Raymond and Holly Young will work with Suhoski, Fire Chief John Duguay and Police Chief Russell Kleber to draft a response and offer additional information “as to what the town is doing to combine its police and fire dispatching within the community under one dispatch center at the Athol Police station.”
The Selectboard voted to withdraw from the agreement following a nonbinding special town meeting vote following a petition drive started by Young, who at the time was not on the board.