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Council sticks with RCC for emergency services
by John Tawa
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Manhattan Beach spurned the city of El Segundo and its new Communications Center, shown here, for the reliability of the RCC, which has handled the city's 911 emergency calls since 1973. Photo by John Tawa. |
The Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night reaffirmed its commitment to the South Bay's Regional Communications Center, better known as the RCC. It chose to continue its 27-year relationship with the public agency rather than turn to El Segundo to handle the city's 911 calls.
"I'm voting for [the RCC] principally for the service it provides," said Mayor Tim Lilligren. "It has provided us with virtually flawless service the past 25 years."
The council's decision to stick with the RCC was not an easy one. In January, El Segundo broke from the agency and established its own start-up emergency communications center, attracting the city of Hermosa Beach as a customer for at least a one-year term. Joining with El Segundo and Hermosa Beach in the new center appeared to be an attractive alternative to current partners Hawthorne and Gardena. And the cost of the services provided by El Segundo appeared to be several hundred thousand dollars per year less than the minimum $926,000 it will cost the city in 2000-2001 to stay with the RCC.
The decision to stick with the RCC came down to reliability.
"We have never experienced any time we felt their services were not adequate or not reliable," Fire Chief Dennis Groat told the council.
There also was a concern over whether El Segundo had sufficient radio frequencies to service Manhattan Beach. The RCC currently operates on 13 radio frequencies, while El Segundo has no primary frequency licenses and is a co-licensee on three RCC frequencies. Groat told the council that Manhattan Beach would need three frequencies of its own to maintain its current capabilities. The cost to purchase a frequency runs $800,000 or more.
"I'm not thrilled about either choice tonight," said councilmember Steve Napolitano. "What we do know is we have frequencies [with the RCC] and a capable staff. For those reasons, El Segundo is not the answer at this moment."
"The bottom line for me is that there are too many unknowns in going to El Segundo," added councilmember Joyce Fahey. "I don't think it would be wise to enter into a venture with so many unknowns."
The council's decision to stick with the RCC, however, was conditioned on bylaw changes designed to improve the RCC's organizational structure. The biggest change, if approved, would have city managers, rather than appointed council members from the member cities, assume responsibility for the day to day and operational decisions of the RCC.
Politics has historically been an obstacle to the RCC's operating at peak efficiency and may have been a principal reason for El Segundo's decision to leave.
Manhattan Beach's commitment to the RCC also means that plans to erect a new facility can go forward. Last August, the RCC closed escrow on a one-acre site in Hawthorne. Plans have been drawn and approvals obtained for a new, $8.5 million, two-story, 12,000 square foot full service facility to be built on the site.
Ralph Mailloux, the RCC's interim director, said that the new building should take one year to complete. Bonds issued by the three municipalities will finance the construction. Manhattan Beach's share of the cost is 23 percent.
The new facility should be able to attract other South Bay cities back to the RCC.
"I think Hermosa Beach will be a customer if we built a building," Mailloux explained. "Redondo Beach is a possibility. Inglewood is interested in coming in.
"If we build a building, they will come." ER