St. Pauls emergency dispatch services in process of upgrade

Apr. 15—ST. PAULS — The police department is in the process of updating the town's emergency dispatch services system, according to the St. Pauls chief of police.

"We're having a new system installed," said St. Pauls Chief of Police Mike Owens.

St. Pauls dispatches its calls through a landline system and functions as a PSAP, or public safety answering point, and does not contract with Robeson County Emergency 911 services.

The town is switching to the VESTA service through AT&T, Owens said.

Residents who use a landline to call 911 are automatically connected to the town's dispatchers, the police chief said. However, people who call from cell phones are routed to Robeson County dispatchers who then dispatch the police department.

The system will be paid for by a one-time $1,800 fee, Owens said.

The GIS Map for the new 911 system will allow emergency calls from cellphones to "go directly" to the town's dispatching services, he said. It also will allow the police department to receive 911 text messages.

The project to upgrade the system should be complete in five to six months, he said.

Commissioners were told in August 2021 by former Chief of Police Steve Dollinger that the system needed an upgrade through AT&T in order to continue serving the community.

Johnson and Elizabeth Streets Stormwater Drainage Project

The project to improve stormwater drainage on Johnson and Elizabeth streets is in the planning stages, according to St. Pauls Public Works Director Danny Holloman.

More than $300,000 in Golden LEAF Foundation funding was previously designated for the project which seeks to make storm drain improvements in the area.

"St. Paul's lacks sufficient stormwater infrastructure to remove water from the natural bowl at Johnson and Elizabeth streets. Approximately 50 acres of the Town, including more than 90 homes, businesses, and churches, drain to this location," according to information from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

Wilkinson Drive Project

The storm drainage project on Wilkinson Drive is nearing completion, according to Holloman.

The town has $35,000 left in the project, he said.

Town leaders discussed that matter during the regular town meeting on Thursday, St. Pauls Mayor Elbert Gibson told The Robesonian on Friday.

Leaders now have to find ways to spend that money, the mayor said.

Other matters

Commissioners heard a request from resident David McQueen Thursday to place doors and aluminum siding on his building in the town limits, according to Mayor Gibson. McQueen is a retired electrician.

"Our ordinance doesn't address that," Gibson said.

The matter was turned over to the town's Zoning Committee for further action, he said.

Also during the meeting, commissioners approved the following resolutions:

— Asset Assessment and Rate Study.

— Study on drinking water treatment.

— Study on drinking water distribution.

— Study on wastewater collection system.

Reach Jessica Horne at 910-416-5165 or via email at jhorne@robesonian.com.