Belmont Police will spend $31k on new dispatch console

BELMONT — Selectmen authorized the police chief to spend $31,400 with Ossipee Mountain Electronics for a new dispatch console.

At this year's annual Town Meeting, voters approved up to $45,000 for the new equipment.

Chief Mark Lewandoski said he has been working with two electronics suppliers over the past six months to determine what would be the best fit for Belmont's limited-space dispatch room as well as something that will last the department for the next 25 or 30 years.

He said the console the department uses now was a hand-me-down from the Laconia Police Department.

Lewandoski said it would be an ergonomic system that could be moved should the department ever get a new or upgraded building. He also noted that should the day come when the town needs a second dispatcher, this system can be expanded.

He said he preferred the one from Ossipee Mountain because it is a three-screen touch-screen system that only uses one keyboard and one mouse. He said it enables a police dispatcher to touch the screen and connect with the Fire Department if necessary.

"We won't have to replace this again in another five years," Lewandoski said.

In other business, selectmen also agreed to apply for an Emergency Management Performance grant for the purpose of updating the town's emergency operations plan.

Fire Chief Dave Parenti said the plan should be updated every five to seven years and the town is two years overdue.

He said the funding comes in the form of a matching grant but the match will come in the form of employee hours needed to complete the plan. Parenti said that should the town get the grant, he would create a committee of himself, the fire chief, and a few representatives of the town to create and update the new plan.