Austintown trustees approve $500K police addition

May 13, 2019 at 8:17p.m.

AUSTINTOWN

After a proposed $500,000 addition to the township police department is built, 911 dispatchers will no longer be “sitting on top of each other,” Chief Bob Gavalier said.

Trustees on Monday approved a building contract with Adolph Johnson and Son Co. of Mineral Ridge to add 1,600-square feet, which will become the township’s new dispatching center.

The dispatchers now work on four separate consoles in about half that space, which can lead to radio interference, Gavalier said.

It’s “a big safety concern,” he said.

“To me, this is a big undertaking. We looked at this for a long time,” he said. “It’s enough to give dispatchers the ample room they need, plus for future growth, so we can expand in the future.”

Gavalier said the contractor expects to finish the addition by October. Build costs have yet to be finalized and officials will likely also purchase two new workspaces, he said. The expansion costs include a networking upgrade so the department is prepared to join the county’s centralized dispatch system.

The former dispatch center could be used as storage space for evidence or the detective division, Gavalier said.

The dispatch center fields calls for several agencies in Mahoning County, including the county sheriff’s office and dog warden and in Jackson and Milton townships.

“They’re doing a lot of calls. It’s very, very tight in there,” Trustee Doug McGlynn said, adding some township detectives are relegated to working in “closets” due to lack of space.

“This move will make it a better facility for the police department and the dispatch center.”