LEWISTON — Three plans for changing radio communication with police officers, sheriff’s deputies and firefighters across Androscoggin County may narrow Monday to one.

At a meeting scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Turner Town Office,  a committee of police and fire officials plan to recommend one of the three options to county commissioners.

The three options include: updating the current dispatch center in the county courthouse in Auburn, taking over Lisbon’s call center by the county or transforming Lewiston-Auburn’s 911 center into a countywide communications hub.

“Members of the committee are still pretty divided,” said Auburn Police Chief Phil Crowell, a committee member and the interim director of LA 911. However, he insisted that the committee will be able to support a plan.

“We will have a recommendation,” he said.

A firm recommendation would be a major step for the committee, the third such group to face the issue of how best to communicate with the area’s varied emergency workers. Two previous committees tried to solve the problem but failed under the weight of solving the complicated financial options that accompany each plan.

The three-member Androscoggin County Commission dissolved the second committee last year and created the new one last fall, slashing the total number of members in hopes of focusing the talk. They also worked to fill the committee with emergency service leaders such as Crowell and Chairman David Brooks, Lisbon’s chief of police.

“I think this one works because we took out most of the politicians,” said Commission Chairman Randall Greenwood. “And I’m a politician.”

Greenwood, who has attended most of the group’s meetings, praised the committee’s work. In nine meetings, they’ve accomplished more than the previous two committees, he said.

Some have been marathon sessions, lasting more than four hours long, said County Commissioner Jonathan LaBonte, who serves on the committee.

“These are not sleepy meetings where nothing gets done,” he said. He expects the discussion over recommending a plan will test the group.

Brooks has backed the Lisbon plan, which would move county dispatching into Lisbon’s dispatch center.

Crowell said Friday that he supports creating a single dispatch center to serve each of the agencies within the county, including the Sheriff’s Department and municipal police and fire.

“At the end of the day, it should be in one place,” Crowell said.

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