DURHAM – Though the general public in Durham shouldn’t notice a difference, the town is changing its emergency dispatch service from Androscoggin County to the town of Lisbon.

At a meeting of the Durham Board of Selectmen on Nov. 20, the board voted 4-0 (Selectman Jeff Wakeman absent) to approve a contract with Lisbon for dispatch services only.

Durham Fire Chief William St. Michel said he supported the move, which will save the town about $3,600 per year. St. Michel said that the county’s PSAP (Public Service Answering Point) will continue to answer 911 calls from the town, but will relay those calls to Lisbon for dispatching. The savings comes from the elimination of a special line, also known as a radio loop, that the town now must use with the county because the radio frequencies used by Durham are too close to those used by the county, St. Michel said. ©he move to Lisbon eliminates the need for the radio loop, and the $3,600 annual cost that goes along with it.

St. Michel said he thought it was in the best interest of the community to make the switch and also said that it should be invisible to residents.

“They won’t notice any difference in service,” he said.

In other news, the selectmen voted unanimously to award the town’s mowing and grounds maintenance contract for the next two years to Yankee Yardworks of Durham at a cost of $7,500 per year. Administrative Assistant Janet Smith said the town received four bids and Yankee’s was the lowest. Selectmen also awarded the town’s plowing contract to Yankee Yardworks, approving unanimously a one-year contract at $3,500. Smith said the bid was the only one received by the town.