Commentary

 

Cumberland County begins Interoperability study
By Peter Crichton, County Manager

I have been requested to provide some background information on the Cumberland County Comprehensive Emergency Communications and Interoperability Study which is about to begin.

I am happy to provide individuals and groups with this information. In fact, this is exactly the kind of involvement that the project team is seeking to have with the community as a whole throughout the Cumberland County region.

I am pleased to report we had a very hard working selection review committee made up of technical experts, public safety representatives, county officials, town managers, and local elected officials who have reviewed the 5 bids we received from consulting firms; out of a total of approximately 20 firms that were sent RFPs.

The selection committee after interviewing the consultant firms and very careful consideration recommended that the Commissioners award the bid to L. Robert Kimball & Associates. Kimball was the low bidder among the firms which met the RFP specifications at a cost of $111,494. In addition to being the low bidder the background check showed that Kimball was viewed very favorably.

The Cumberland County Regional Communications Center Board of Directors also had an opportunity to review the bid proposals from each of the firms and they agreed with the selection committee's recommendation to hire Kimball.

As a result, a on Monday, April 26, the Commissioners approved hiring L. Robert Kimball & Associates. The expectation is that the work by Kimball will take 3-4 months. We are moving ahead with a project management team that will be a collaborative effort mirrored after the selection committee.

The team will be meeting with Kimball representatives on a regular basis to ensure that the project accomplishes its objectives. One of our primary objectives is to have a great deal of citizen and community involvement.

Personally and professionally, I am very pleased with the commitment that people have made to this project. I certainly appreciate the outstanding work that the Deputy County Manager Jane Duncan has done to help this project become a reality.

I would be remiss if I did not also recognize the involvement and perseverance of our Communications Director Bill Holmes, as well as Lauren Carrier and Bob Lefebvre as the chairman of our Communications Board of Directors.

In short, many folks are responsible for the work that has been done to date, from our selection committee to our Communciations Board, to the numerous other individuals who have contributed their time and energy to this important initiative. You can rest assured that we will continue the same strong commitment to involving our citizens and communityleaders as we move forward.

As background, in 2001 the Cumberland County Strategic Planning Space Needs Subcommittee recommended that the County build a new emergency communications center to address some significant air quality problems as well as increasing space limitations. Subsequently, the County Commissioners approved utilizing funds from the County's strategic planning capital reserve fund to construct a new facility.

Since that time, because of the statewide and regional discussions regarding the consolidation of E-911 and dispatch centers, as well as the need to identify a solution to our radio interoperability problems, the County has initiated this independent analysis.

There are four issues which people are hoping the study will give some guidance and direction, if not solutions, to the County and our communities.
The four issues are as follows:

1) determine the best way to proceed on either upgrading and/or purchasing new technology for radio interoperability so that our public safety folks throughout the county can communicate with one another;

2) determine what steps, if any, should be taken to enhance emergency communications services throughout the cumberland county region;

3) review the current funding formula for contracted services to establish a funding formula which communities view as fair and equitable for those that are interested in contracting with Cumberland County Government for E- 911 and dispatch services; and

4) develop some recommendations pertaining to the future construction of a new Cumberland County Regional Communications Center.

As you can see, this is a collaborative process. All of us involved have embarked on this study because of the many reasons that I have previously indicated. As many people have stated, there is a great need to collect data in order to bring about informed decision making.

This independent analysis is a very important step for the future of emergency communications and radio interoperability in the Cumberland County region. It will provide important data which should lead to a greater understanding of the emergency communications and radio interoperability systems that we have in place today.

The potential for this study to be used by communities and the County in future decision making is tremendous. It can be a road map for achieving greater public safety and enhanced emergency communications services throughout the county, as well as diminished or reduced costs for these services.

The Selection Committee members are listed below. The RFP and the list of firms that were sent the RFP can be made available by request. The list of firms were compiled from a list provided by the Coastal Coalition comprised of Freeport, Falmouth, Yarmouth and Cumberland, as well as the Maine State Police, and others.

Please feel free to give me some feedback should you have questions or comments. You may also contact Jane Duncan or Bill Holmes. Over the next several weeks you will be reading and hearing more about this important process.

Selection Committee members
Selection Committee - Emergency Communications Study
Chief Robert Lefebvre
Gorham Fire Department
270 Main St.
Gorham, ME. 04038-1382
e-mail: rlefebvre@gorham.me.us
telephone: 839-6762

Rosemary Kulow
Town Manager
385 Intervale Road
P.O. Box 8
New Gloucester, ME 04260
telephone: 929-4126

William Shane
Town Manager
290 Tuttle Road
Cumberland, Maine 04021
telephone: 829-2205

Chief Fred Lamontagne
Portland Fire & Rescue
380 Congress St.
Portland, ME 04101
e-mail: Fjl@ci.portland.me.us
telephone: 874-8400

Michael Mowles
Town Councilor
423 Ocean House Road
Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
e-mail: mowles@maine.rr.com
cell: 232-7313

Paul Davis
Town Councilor
14 Whitney Road
Falmouth, ME 04105
e-mail: pdavis4@maine.rr.com
telephone: 774-5936

Harry L. Marsters II CMSgt., MeANG
Chief, Communications-Electronics Systems
265th Combat Communications Squadron
VOICE: DSN 243-7921 CML 207-756-7921
FAX: DSN 243-7990 CML 207-756-7990
NIPRNET: Harry.Marsters@Mebngr.ang.af.mil

Bill Holmes, Director of Communications
e-mail: holmes@cumberlandcounty.org
telephone: 893-2810

George Flaherty, EMA Director
e-mail: flaherty@cumberlandcounty.org
telephone: 892-6785

Royce Bartlett, Captain, Sheriff's Department
telephone: 774-1444

Advisory Staff:
Brendan Benson, Director of Purchasing
telephone: 774-1444

John Joy, I.T. Director
telephone: 774-1444

Lauren Carrier, Consultant
e-mail: lcarrier@maine.rr.com
telephone: 839-2489

Patricia Dunn, County Attorney
e-mail: PDunn@JBGH.com
telephone: 775-7271

Jane Duncan, Deputy County Manager
e-mail: duncan@cumberlandcounty.org
telephone: 871-8380