Tewksbury-Dracut Regional Dispatch Center Set To Open In Sept

TEWKSBURY, MA — The new Tewksbury-Dracut dispatch center is set to open Sept. 1, Tewksbury Town Manager Richard Montuori told the Board of Selectmen, Wednesday.

The towns had planned to open the center on July 1, but did not have enough dispatchers to operate. Tewksbury is short about 3.5 dispatchers, Montuori said.

The town was unable to find trained dispatchers, and state 911 training was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Training has now resumed and the town has resumed hte hiring process.

The facility is "98 percent" complete and all equipment except state 911 equipment is in place, Montuori said.

Dracut has also had problems filling dispatch positions, so Tewksbury may cover for them in the interim, Montuori said.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.