By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

    The South Portland City Council expressed its
support for public safety officials in South Portland and Portland to
move forward with the consolidation of the two cities’ emergency
dispatch services into one Public Service Access Point or PSAP.

    Last week, the cooperative effort received a boost
in funding in the amount of $930,000 through a Port Security Grant,
said South Portland City Manager Ted Jankowski during Monday’s
workshop.

    On Tuesday, South Portland Fire Chief Kevin Guimond
said the estimated cost of the whole project is $1.2 million and the
city has several years to come up with a match of $310,000. In terms of
technology, the money will fund 14 new computer consoles “on both sides
of the river,” microwave communication technology and cameras on fire
boats and pilot boats.

    “What we’re looking to do is unify command, control
and information sharing between both cities and Portland Harbor,” he
said. After Sept. 11, he said Portland took “hard security” measures
such as the installation of fencing to add another layer of protection
and now they are looking at security from an informational stance.

Guimond said the new technology would bolster security at the Maine
State Pier as well as South Portland’s oil terminals and Casco Bay
Bridge. An audiovisual monitoring system, which will include input from
the Northern New England Sector of the U.S. Coast Guard, will provide
emergency responders with a visual look at the harbor before arriving
on the scene. Once the technology is in place, Guimond said the
community will be the “most state of the art dispatch north of Boston
and New York City.”

South Portland Police Chief Edward Googins said the department had
considered replacing their software, but decided to hold off with the
knowledge the technological advances could be coming down the road.

“Not only do we want to have the best stuff, but the council gave us
clear directions a while back to come up with the best option for the
community,” he said during the workshop.

Earlier this year, Jankowski said because the two cities already work
closely on a number of issues and because further consolidation may be
mandated in the future, combining services with Portland is the best
fit for South Portland. Police and 9-1-1 calls will be routed to
Portland and South Portland will answer fire and EMS calls.

    “Both dispatch centers will (have) 100 percent
redundant capacities,” Guimond said. Both centers will be able to serve
as backups if needed, he said.

    South Portland currently answers 9-1-1 calls for the
town of Cape Elizabeth and according to the memorandum of understanding
that would designate Portland as a PSAP, that agreement will be honored
until “it expires or is terminated by either party.”

    Once consolidation is under way, Assistant City
Manager Jim Gailey said a standing committee made up of two city
managers, two police chiefs, and two fire chiefs, will serve as the
governing body.

    The committee will handle administrative duties such
as establishing policies and procedures, making budget recommendations,
and addressing employee issues. Each year a different chairperson will
be elected and that person will hold two votes to prevent deadlock on
issues.

    Gailey said dispatch service costs and revenues and
capital expenditures will be shared by the two cities. He said South
Portland will still be responsible for the building and infrastructure
on Anthoine Street.

    Councilor Maxine Beecher questioned whether
consolidation would require more personnel or an expansion at Anthoine
Street.

    Guimond said there are currently 37 people with two
dispatchers on duty in South Portland at all times. He said South
Portland dispatchers currently work 12 hours while Portland dispatchers
work eight. He said the call volume for the community drops off from 6
p.m. to 2 a.m. He said it would be an issue of negotiating, rather than
adding personnel.

    Employees currently under contract with South
Portland would remain in the employ of the city and the same would be
true of Portland employees, however, new employees will be under
contract with Portland, Gailey said. Existing employees would have to
option the sign on to Portland’s collective bargaining agreement, but
they would not be able to switch back to their former contract.

    “It’s an attempt to keep South Portland dispatchers
whole and Portland dispatchers whole,” he said. Existing employees
would retain the benefits and hourly wages in their contracts.

    Councilor Jim Soule inquired about the possibility
of holding a community town meeting to educate the public on the
changes.

    Although Guimond said he would enjoy the opportunity
to educate people about the technology component, he was hesitant to
hold such a meeting as the communities have been given a strict
deadline. According to the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the
communities have until Oct. 1 to come to an agreement. He said the
cities have been allotted two years for the total expenditure of the
Port Security Grant and the Information Technology departments likely
have 18 months of work ahead of them.

    Soule said he proposed the idea of a public forum
not as a way to gather opposing viewpoints, but as a way for residents
to see how the technology will work.

    Councilor Kay Loring said the presentation helped to change her mind about the consolidation.

    “I was against it from day one, (but) I’m not
against it anymore,” she said. “I’m blown away by the technology.”

    Jankowski said he would work with the chiefs to arrange for an event at the Public Safety Building.

    With Mayor Claude Morgan giving the final go ahead,
Portland Police Chief Tim Burton said the Portland City Council will
take up the issue at its first or second workshop in June.