Rochester is approaching the day when it will completely switch over its 911 emergency dispatch service to a regional service based in Duxbury, and on April 2 Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar told the Rochester Board of Selectmen that date could be as soon as May 15.
All infrastructure upgrades such as repeaters, transmitters, and generators have been installed, and training for Rochester’s emergency responders, as well as a tour of the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCCC) headquarters in Duxbury, is imminent. ROCCC staff has already spent some time accompanying police in their cruisers to learn the “unique points of Rochester,” Szyndlar said, “to get everybody communicating and learning what the town is all about. So that should work out well.”
The $1.6 million grant provided by the Massachusetts State 911 department covered the costs of the infrastructure upgrades in Rochester, as well as some upgrades to the ROCCC headquarters, which includes new consoles on the dispatch floor, a renovation and redesign project, and a number of other equipment upgrades.
Selectmen first announced the possibility of switching to the regionalized service during a public forum event back in December of 2016. Residents and some emergency personnel were hesitant to make the switch, but the fire and police chiefs both supported the change, with Police Chief Paul Magee citing better technology and an overall benefit to the residents.
Rochester’s emergency dispatch will go dark once the ROCCC takes command of the service, but residents should not worry about the quality of the service despite the distance. During that public forum on December 13, 2016, Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord said, “Regional centers are much better prepared for that because there’s multiple people in the room.”
For every call that comes in, two dispatchers respond – one to give immediate instructional support and the other to dispatch help, Nord said. As far as distance is concerned, technology is advanced enough to pinpoint the locations of callers – either at home or on their cell phones – using “NextGen 911,” a fusion between Google Maps and the Town’s GIS system. Houses will appear on the map with house numbers listed on the roofs, and cell phone pinpoint technology allows the dispatcher to find a caller anywhere they are and also follow their position until help finds them. The technology is better, and the service costs less to operate, saving significant taxpayer money.
During the feasibility study the ROCCC conducted, they found painfully outdated equipment, even some portable police radios that barely worked.
The May 15 date is a tentative date at this time, and service may take until June 5 to ultimately get online and operating.
In other matters, Szyndlar said Police Chief Magee will be looking into a safety improvement study for the intersection of Mary’s Pond Road and Walnut Plain Road. The Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD) will conduct the evaluation funded under the community technical assistance program, provided by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Szyndlar also said the Finance Committee has approved all but four of the Town’s department budgets ahead of the May 21 Annual Town Meeting. The Town Clerk’s Office is being held after a request for a $2,000 increase, the library was put on hold after a $9,317 increase request, and the Park Department was held until further information on its budget could be received. The Board of Assessors budget, which is looking for a 6% increase of $11,716, was briefly discussed, with Selectmen Greenwood Hartley and Brad Morse expressing a bit of confusion, since the budget increase was accompanied by the Board of Assessors’ expressed interest in not renewing the three-year contract selectmen already signed last year with Principal Assessor Charles Shea. Instead, the Board of Assessors wants to sign a one-year contract.
“I just question how,” said Selectmen Chairman Brad Morse. “We signed a [three-year contract] with an individual (last year). We did not sign a contract with the Board of Assessors.” Morse continued, “They can’t just wave a flag and make it null and void.”
Szyndlar had already forwarded the matter to Town Counsel Blair Bailey to review and advise the board on how to proceed.
“They will explain at one point how this benefits…?” said Hartley. “There must be an endgame to this…. As long as it doesn’t affect the bottom line of their department [budget], it doesn’t bother me.”
Szyndlar passed around a summary prepared by the Board of Assessors comparing Rochester with Marion and Mattapoisett and their BOA budgets and costs to assess property, along with pertinent information on staffing and property value.
“The thing that jumps out to me,” said Hartley, “is the total budget for Mattapoisett and Rochester is almost identical (to Rochester), and Mattapoisett has thirty-percent more homes to assess … and they do it for less money than we’re doing, so this is interesting data.”
“[And] with less staff,” Morse added.
“And a lot less money,” said Hartley.
The board will wait to hear back from Bailey before further consideration, and expects to hold another joint meeting with the Finance Committee once budgets are settled in order to review the Town Meeting warrant articles and make recommendations.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for April 23 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall, but a meeting for April 16 will be scheduled should any pressing matters arise.
Rochester Board of Selectmen
By Jean Perry