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.