BANGOR – Emergency call centers in Piscataquis, Hancock and Washington counties and in Bar Harbor could be consolidated with existing state facilities in Orono, a state commission charged with overseeing such consolidations was told this week.

Combining the five centers could be done at minimal to no cost, and closing the four centers, known as public safety answering points, or PSAPs, could save the state an estimated $47,000 in unused equipment charges for each one, Lt. Raymond Bessette of the Maine Department of Public Safety told Maine Public Utilities Commission members at their meeting Wednesday in Bangor.

If the change is approved, emergency calls that go to the four PSAPs would be transferred to the Maine State Police dispatch center at the Orono barracks, Bessette said.

The PUC has been mandated by year’s end to come up with a plan to reduce the number of PSAPs from the current 48 to about 16 to 24.

“This really bodes well and is in direct alignment of Gov. [John] Baldacci’s desire for consolidation of services to avoid redundant systems and redundant services being out there for the taxpayers,” Bessette said after the hearing held in a Penobscot County Superior Court room.

A PUC official said this week that the commission would develop a report that then will be open for public comment before it is sent to the Legislature for review. The report should be completed later this year.

The three county PSAPs and the one in Bar Harbor represent a unique opportunity in Maine because of their proximity to each other and because each handles a lower call load than other PSAPs, Bessette said.

From July 2002 to June 2003, Bar Harbor received 2,496 landline calls, and Piscataquis County 3,928, compared to the 17,569 calls received in Bangor, according to a study done as part of the consolidation effort.

Richard Moore, a senior dispatcher with the Washington County Regional Communications Center and fire chief in Marshfield, said Thursday he isn’t a supporter of such consolidations.

He said that’s because any savings would come at the cost of service. The Emergency-911 calls sent to Orono then would have to be rerouted back to a dispatch center, which then would notify the local fire or police department, taking up time and delaying response.

“You’re just adding another cog in the wheel that doesn’t need to be there, and during an emergency situation, time is of the essence,” Moore said.

Bar Harbor Police Chief Nate Young is a reluctant supporter of the proposed joining of the five PSAPs, including his own. He said the proposal could save taxpayers money, or at the least not cost them any more.

But he blames the state for the current predicament, saying it was Maine that instituted the 48 PSAPs in the first place and that they are now looking to reduce them because it underestimated the cost of implementation.

If the state is really serious about consolidation, Young has a suggestion: Merge all 48 PSAPs into two, a northern center and a southern center.

“They should just bite the bullet,” the police chief said.