On Friday, May 2, Boothbay Harbor voters will be asked once again whether they wish to close the local communications center and turn over police and fire dispatch to Lincoln County Communications Center. Proponents of closure point to significant cost savings with no loss in service. Opponents cite the need for local control in emergencies thereby ensuring that Boothbay Harbor is always the number one priority for dispatch.

As Town Manager Tom Woodin has stated, the decision over whether to close the communications center is an "emotional one." There is a certain level of comfort derived from knowing the voice on the end of the line and for having a physical presence 24/7 in the town office. These intangible factors have probably been significant in previous town votes that have been overwhelmingly in favor of retaining local dispatch and will undoubtedly play a role in this year's vote. Although these human elements cannot be strictly defined, other factors, such as costs, the technical abilities of local versus county dispatch, and the experience of other towns can be.

The Boothbay Harbor communications center had its beginning in the 1960s when the water department needed a system for communicating with each other. In those days, the fire department was called by a whistle and there was a blue light on the library lawn to signal for the police department. Over the years, the Harbor communications center evolved into a 24-hour a day dispatch center for police, fire, ambulance, sewer, water, and public works departments for Boothbay Harbor, as well as Boothbay and Southport.

In the late 1980s, Maine citizens voted to install enhanced 911 throughout the state. With e911 technology, the physical address of the location where the 911 call originates appears instantly on the dispatcher's computer screen. Recent advances in e911 now allow cell phone callers to be pinpointed within meters of their location as well. The state identified 48 public safety answering points (PSAPs) for 911 calls; these PSAPs are funded by both state and county tax dollars. The Lincoln County Communications Center (LCCC) in Wiscasset is the only PSAP in Lincoln County, and began answering all 911 calls originated within the county in 2001.

Although the state mandates that LCCC answer all 911 calls, it does not mandate what agency dispatches the responder to that call. While LCCC answered all 911 calls, Boothbay Harbor communications center continued to dispatch for local communities and organizations as they always had. However, with the improvements in county communications, local communities and organizations began the switch from Boothbay Harbor to LCCC as their primary dispatch.

In 2001, the town of Boothbay switched over to LCCC, followed in subsequent years by the Boothbay Regional Ambulance Service (BRAS) and Southport. The water and sewer districts also switched over from the local communications center to an answering service for after hours calls.

For BRAS, choosing LCCC for dispatch meant a quicker response time since there would be no delay associated with transferring a call to Boothbay Harbor communications center. However, finances played a role in other towns' and organizations' decisions to stop using the local communications center. Operating costs for LCCC are paid by all municipalities within Lincoln County, whether they use LCCC for dispatch or not. Faced with paying to support LCCC and Boothbay Harbor communications center, Boothbay was the first to elect to terminate services with the Harbor. Presented with reduced funds from Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor decided to bill local organizations for communications center services. When they received a bill for dispatch, the water and sewer districts looked for less expensive ways to handle their calls. As other towns and organizations pulled out, Boothbay Harbor was left to shoulder the financial costs of the local communications center alone.

Presently, Boothbay Harbor is the only community within Lincoln County that dispatches its own fire and police departments and maintains its own communications center.

A 911 medical emergency call that originates from Boothbay Harbor will be answered and dispatched by LCCC, which will dispatch BRAS. A Boothbay Harbor 911 police or fire emergency will also be answered by LCCC, which will then transfer the call to Boothbay Harbor communications center, which will then dispatch the appropriate department.

The 2007 Communications Center Committee's report indicates that Harbor dispatch answers about 7 to 11 calls per day or about 6,500 calls a year. Over 95 percent of these logged calls in 2006 were for non-emergencies. Included in this total are non-emergency dispatch calls for the Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service for which the Harbor is reimbursed ($17,500 last year).

How do the communications centers compare? Without question, the LCCC facility is better equipped from a technological and staffing perspective. Housed in its own building, LCCC has four state-of-the-art work stations situated in one large room. Every 911 call instantly generates a map with the physical location of the caller; two dispatchers are on the line with the 911 caller - one typing in the information to the computer system, while the other determines the appropriate response. LCCC has eight 911 phone lines, two PSAP lines, and three business lines; they also provide backup for six police department phone lines. Pagers or telephone numbers for all police, fire, ambulance, and just about any state or local agency you can imagine, are available at the press of a button. Like Boothbay Harbor dispatch, LCCC also receives a high number of non-emergency calls.

Two dispatchers are on-duty 24 hours a day (three dispatchers are on-duty from 10 a.m. to midnight). During the day, Kathy Blagdon, the full-time director, is usually available as backup if needed; for special events, such as the Fourth of July, a fourth dispatcher is scheduled. LCCC employs 12 full-time dispatchers and three to five part-time dispatchers. Blagdon says that training for these dispatchers is "never ending and continuous." All must complete on-the-job training, as well as e911 training, mapping training, and emergency medical dispatcher training.

Redundant power supplies for the computer-aided dispatch system are in place with both an uninterruptible power supply and a backup generator. Last year's budget for LCCC was about $670,000. Those costs are paid by all towns within Lincoln County, including Boothbay Harbor, based on property valuation. The state provides funding for all 911 equipment and its maintenance.

The smaller Boothbay Harbor dispatch does not have the high tech capabilities found at LCCC. Most (98 percent) of the communications center's budget ($219,000 proposed for next year) covers employees' wages and benefits. Boothbay Harbor employs four full-time and four part-time dispatchers; usually only one individual is on duty at a time, occasionally two. The Boothbay Harbor Police Chief provides supervision and oversight. Dispatchers receive on the job training as well as about 20 to 30 hours of additional training each year. A generator provides a back-up power supply.

What the Boothbay Harbor dispatch provides that LCCC does not is undivided attention. When the Harbor police or fire department is on a call, they are virtually certain to be the Harbor dispatcher's number one priority. Although all dispatchers must prioritize, LCCC dispatches for 19 other communities, which includes four ambulance services, four police departments, and 18 fire departments.

The arguments for closing the local communications center are fairly simple. LCCC provides state-of-the art dispatch services, for which Boothbay Harbor already pays but does not fully utilize. Those in favor of closing local dispatch generally view it as a redundant and costly service that has outlived its usefulness. They suggest that the relatively small number of non-emergency calls could be handled by the town office, police administrative assistant, or the Chamber of Commerce. Others are concerned about the time it takes for LCCC to transfer a 911 call to Harbor communications instead of directly summoning responders.

Arguments against closing local communications generally come from local law, fire, and emergency responders, as well as senior citizen support organizations.

Emergency Management Director David Benner and Police Chief Robert Hasch have both expressed concern about the high volume of calls generated within Boothbay Harbor and LCCC's ability to handle that increased call volume. Hasch stresses that Boothbay Harbor is unique, with a very high summer population, as well as a lively night life. Benner notes that LCCC is already monitoring radio calls for all police, fire, and ambulance for all of Lincoln County. Both men express concern that Boothbay Harbor's police and fire departments would not get the backup they need, particularly during busy times, if the local dispatch center closes.

Conversely, LCCC Director Blagdon is completely confident that LCCC could handle dispatch for Boothbay Harbor. She notes that LCCC is fully staffed and that all dispatchers are trained to prioritize calls and ask the right questions. Blagdon stresses that she is not advocating for closing the Boothbay Harbor communications center but that LCCC is ready to work with local departments. She does not expect that the Harbor police and fire departments would see any loss in service if they switched to LCCC for dispatch.

Others argue that the communications center presents a local safe haven for victims of violence and provides support to the elderly that would be lost with a switch to LCCC. The communications center presently checks in regularly with three elderly citizens. Conceivably, those few checks could be done by town or police staff. Whether the town will create a safe haven if local dispatch closes -- something Camden has done -- remains to be seen.

Still others are concerned about the loss of a local presence and the ceding of local control to the county. Benner notes that although the county does not currently assess LCCC charges based on call volume, they could do so. He suggests that dollars saved by closing the local dispatch may just be dollars shifted to pay a higher county bill later.

Concerns have been expressed about what would happen during a major disaster or if phone lines to the peninsula were knocked out. Blagdon says that if phone service is terminated, LCCC dispatchers would switch to radio. Local emergency centers would probably be set up in each community as was done during the Patriot's Day storm last year.

Boothbay's Town Manager John Anderson describes their transition to LCCC as "seamless," and says "There has not been a single issue." He says that Boothbay has not seen any increased burden on the town office staff due to the switch to LCCC.

Officer John Allen, Wiscasset Police Department, who was at LCCC at the time of my visit, said, "The quality of the work out of this dispatch is second to none. The only loss is the personal touch." Allen said that Wiscasset PD switched to LCCC in 1994 and that he finds LCCC to be "quicker and more efficient."

Probably the most similar situation to Boothbay Harbor is Camden, with its large influx of summer tourists and some night life. Camden voters decided to close the communications center there in 2007. Chief Philip Roberts, who was a staunch opponent of closing Camden's center, says that the transition to the Knox County communications center "has gone very smoothly."

"I've ended up with egg on my face," said Roberts. "I'd been the most vocal opponent of closing the communication center." Roberts says concerns about not receiving adequate priority from county dispatchers or the loss of a 24-hour presence in town have not materialized. However, he did say that the permanent lay-off of the three full-time dispatchers has been "extremely difficult." Camden established a red phone -- direct line to Knox County dispatch -- in a lockable entryway with a video camera to provide a safe haven. Roberts said that so far this system has worked.

No one can put a price tag on the loss of a local organization like the Boothbay Harbor communications center. Boothbay Harbor prides itself on its uniqueness, on its sense of community, and its independence. Voters in Boothbay Harbor may wish to continue this local service and those employees who serve them despite its costs and available alternatives.

From a strictly financial perspective, the Communication Center Committee estimates that the town would save about $150,000 in the first year of closing the communications center. This estimate includes the cost of installing telephone and security equipment, establishing an answering service, and the loss of Central Lincoln County ambulance service reimbursement. It does not include severance pay for employees. After the first year, the committee estimates phone, answering service, and alarm monitoring costs at about $2,600/year.

Voters will decide the fate of the Harbor communications center by secret ballot on May 2. A public hearing to discuss the issue will be held at the Boothbay Harbor town office at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 23.