ROSEBUD — Gasconade County Central Dispatch received a quite impressive birthday present earlier this year, one that will allow the agency to make significant upgrades to its services.

In January, Central Dispatch received approval for a $401,060 grant from the Missouri 911 Service Board that will finance several improvements to its Enhanced-911 operations, said Executive Director Lisa Thacker. This year also marks the start of the agency’s 20th anniversary. County voters two decades ago voted in an elected Board of Directors, moving Central Dispatch from County Commission oversight and putting it in the hands of a 5-member board.

Two of those board members — Betty Estes and John Adams — have been with the agency since that time and were recognized during the April 10 swearing in of Adams and Clyde Zelch. Estes’ award recognizes her for “Outstanding Leadership, Dedication and Care for Her Community” while Adams was recognized for “Building a Strong Foundation for 911.”

“They have both served without reimbursement for 20 years on an active board that oversees Emergency 911 services for Gasconade County,” Thacker said. “Betty and John have both been excellent stewards of 911 funds and have donated their own time and resources for the benefit of 911.”

The state funds will be supplemented with a 10-percent local match amount from Central Dispatch. The funding will be used to upgrade the 911 equipment and software, worth about $172,000, and upgraded CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) equipment, worth about $243,000.

“We also contracted with AT&T to move to Next Generation 911 through their ESInet,” Thacker said. “All of these projects are expected to be completed around July of this year.”

What this means for residents and visitors of Gasconade County:

• Quicker time from call to answer.

• More accurate location of 911 calls from wireless devices.

• Ability to chat with 911 callers and receive other data such as photos and videos.

• Ability to monitor the location of response units on a map for faster dispatching.

• Easier communication and record keeping between Central Dispatch and local response agencies.

Central Dispatch on July 1 will begin putting emergency calls through to Hermann Area Ambulance District and Hermann Fire Company, which have been receiving notification from the Hermann Police Department’s Dispatch Center. The ambulance and fire agencies last week notified Hermann City Hall that they would be terminating their contracts with the city at midnight June 30 and switch to Gasconade County Central Dispatch at that time.

At that point, Central Dispatch will be sending out virtually all public service agencies in the county, Thacker said. The Hermann Police Department would become the only first-responder agency not served by Central Dispatch.

However, Thacker said that when Central Dispatch received notice of the move being made by Hermann Ambulance and Hermann Fire, the countywide agency provided the city of Hermann with options for services if City Hall decides to join other local government agencies being toned out by Central Dispatch.