Taunton provides update on new $79M public safety complex

TAUNTON, Mass. (WLNE) — City officials in Taunton gathered Wednesday morning to provide an update on the new $79 million public safety complex planned to be built.

Mayor Shaunna O’Connell said the complex, which will be the home to both the police and fire departments, is still on time and on budget to be completed.

O’Connell said the project is expected to break ground in the spring, and from there, should be completed within three years.

The new complex will replace the existing police and fire buildings within the city and put them all under one roof. Back in March, ABC 6 News got a look at the current facilities and the deteriorating conditions first responders have dealt with.

That includes 911 dispatchers, who work in tight quarters inside the facilities. O’Connell said there were discussions to outsource dispatch to a regional facility once they move, but after discussions with various facilities, 911 dispatch will be kept within the city and will be brought to the new location.

“They work in basically a closet that just is not suitable for the work they do,” O’Connell said.

“We evaluated going to a regional communications center but looking at the numbers we would dominate the place our call volume is so high it would clear everything else going on there,” Police Chief Edward Walsh told ABC 6.

Currently, there are two dispatchers on shift at a time, and they operate 24 hours a day.

The tight space they’re currently in poses a challenge to do their work, the mayor said, but in the new complex dispatchers will have more room to work as well as the potential to expand to allow for EMS dispatch to be under the same roof as police and fire in the future.

“The new building will allow us to have unified emergency dispatch between police, and fire and the space and capability to add EMS to the existing system,” said Fire Chief Steven Lavigne.