ATHOL — Tempers flared at a public hearing when people accused Athol officials of distorting facts about a proposed regionalization of the town’s dispatching.
Residents said the public has been misled about the proposal and those in charge have not properly researched the topic. Town Manager Shaun Suhoski, Fire Chief John Duguay, Police Chief Russell Kleber and consultant Tom Kennedy took questions and comments from the roughly 70 people in the Athol Senior Center on Monday night.
Former Athol dispatcher Sarah Gambrell was one of the most vocal people and said Kleber, her boss since he started as chief on July 11, was not being honest about his stance on regionalization. She said he has told members of the police department he opposes the plan, and is publicly supporting it only because he is in a probationary period and does not want to upset the town manager and Selectboard. Kleber was speaking at the hearing when Gambrell stood up and demanded he admit to this. The chief, however, sat down and Duguay said it was inappropriate to make personal attacks.
The proposal is to consolidate Athol police and fire dispatch with that of Gardner and operate in a regional emergency communication center in the new Gardner police station. Athol and Gardner entered into an intermunicipal agreement in March 2015 to regionalize its dispatch services.
But unions representing Athol’s firefighters, police officers and dispatchers filed formal opposition with the Board of Selectmen. They contend the town did not properly gather input from the unions. The unions say their members were not sufficiently consulted before the decision. They also challenge the feasibility study.
Richard Martin said this decision should have come to a direct vote by townspeople. He said public safety is too important to have been limited to a Selectboard vote. He accused Suhoski of pushing regionalization for his own political gain “down the road.” Suhoski said he had no idea what Martin was talking about.
He has previously told The Recorder that Athol’s current and retired police and fire chiefs support regionalization, due to enhanced 911 technology and the fact that Athol and Gardner have fiber optic connectivity and radio tower backup 12 miles apart. He also said regionalization has numerous benefits, including savings that allow the hiring of an additional police officer at no added cost to the taxpayers, improved equipment and radio communications, and having three dispatchers on duty. Athol currently has one to two.
Kleber said there were 5,003 911 calls in Gardner in 2013 and 1,918 in Athol that same year. Gambrell said she does not believe one extra dispatcher could carry the burden of those additional calls.
Lee Chauvette, Athol Board of Selectmen chairman, voiced his objection as he has in the past. A conflict of interest left him unable to comment at the March 2015 meeting when the intermunicipal agreement was signed. His son was once a part-time dispatcher and is now the president of NEPBA Local 59. Chauvette read a prepared statement that blasted town officials.
“This is the most convoluted and non-transparent governmental process that the town of Athol has ever experienced,” he said.
Athol Town Counsel Mark A. Goldstein previously said Athol can exit the intermunicipal agreement, but it will take 18 month
The police union’s letter, penned by Officers Corey J. Chauvette and Todd Neale, the NEPBA Local 59 president and vice president respectively, states Athol dispatchers also handle prisoner watch. Resident Kim Stewart asked Kleber how often the police department has overnight prisoners and the chief estimated it is about one every other day.
Kleber explained regionalization will result in having three patrols on every shift, with no dispatcher at the Athol station. He said the central downtown patrol would come off the street to supervise a prisoner if one is brought in during the overnight shift.
According to information from town, Suhoski estimates regionalization will result in more than $100,000 in financial benefits per year through savings, increased revenue and avoided costs. The town also says all Athol full-time employees are guaranteed a job due to a standing agreement between Suhoski and Gardner Mayor Mark Hawke. This is being put into writing, according to the information.