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CLEAR Temp: 44 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, October 9, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 22, 2002 Who’s Ashland gonna call? The city has decided to join another 911 service, but isn’t sure which will suit it best By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune The city of Medford is forging ahead with plans to construct an expanded 911 dispatch center, hoping the city of Ashland will hop on board. City officials this week selected an architect and are waiting for cost proposals for the new facility, said Jef Faw, Medford’s deputy city manager. Planned to serve as both a 911 call-taking center and dispatch service, the new facility should be completed in December 2003, Faw said. The building could be large enough to house Ashland and county dispatchers, in addition to allowing for Medford’s growth over the next 20 years, he said. "We believe that gives us the favored discretion for the state to award us the PSAP (public safety answering point, or 911 call center)," Faw said. The Oregon Legislature passed a bill last year that required all 911 call centers in the state to have submitted consolidation plans by Sept. 1. If a county did not submit a proposal, the state was to assign the 911 duties to only one agency. In Jackson County, the selection comes with $800,000 in annual state 911 funds. All other centers would lose state support. Medford officials said the city will operate its own dispatch center regardless of whether it gets the PSAP designation and the state funding. Construction of the new dispatch center is estimated to cost the city’s general fund up to $1.2 million. Last month, Medford Central Communications (CCOM) and Southern Oregon Regional Communications (SORC) submitted separate plans to the state’s Office of Emergency Management because officials could not agree on how their operations should consolidate. The Ashland City Council voted Tuesday to contract its dispatch service with one of the two larger agencies. Ashland police Chief Scott Fleuter will negotiate with each and bring a recommendation back to the council. "We’re really not big enough to justify the full service that we have," said Ashland Mayor Alan DeBoer. "We don’t know who we’re going with at this point." Figures show that the city of Ashland would save between $200,000 and $400,000 annually if it joined forces with a larger dispatch center, DeBoer said. Ashland currently maintains a dispatch center and takes 911 calls for its police and fire departments. Medford CCOM dispatches for the city’s police and fire departments, Central Point Police Department and fire and rescue crews at the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. SORC is the sole dispatcher for 28 agencies that include the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, county fire districts, six small city police departments and Mercy Flights ambulance service. DeBoer said Ashland will choose either CCOM or SORC before the state decides who gets the money. Both agencies have valid arguments, which led to their disagreement, he said, adding that the location of Medford’s new dispatch center is a huge factor for the future. DeBoer said he is in favor of Medford’s construction project if the city builds its center on county-owned land near the airport. Its current choice of city-owned land behind Medford Fire Station No. 6 off Barnett Road puts radio repeaters in the shadow of a mountainside where they can’t effectively transmit signals. Most agencies that dispatch through SORC rely on repeaters. Medford was willing to build a joint center with SORC on county-owned land until negotiations for consolidating the two centers fell apart, Faw said. With that option on hold, Medford went ahead with plans to build on land the city already owns, he said. Faw said he expects to hear whether Ashland is in or out before a design for the new center is finalized. Designed to be seismically sound, Medford’s new dispatch center will measure between 5,000 and 8,000 square feet and will most likely cost the city $150 per square foot, or up to $1.2 million total. Money for the construction will come from the city’s general fund. "We believe, perhaps arrogantly, that our plan ... will be the approved plan," Faw said. SORC officials were out of the area attending a conference this week and could not be reached for comment. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S