LUDLOW, Vt. – The Ludlow Police Department and Ludlow Fire Rescue have recently, to varying degrees, outsourced their dispatch services to Springfield and Keene, respectively, due to an ongoing shortage of dispatchers for Ludlow’s local dispatch department. According to Town Manager Penny Wu, the dispatch department would normally employ four full-time and one or two part-time dispatchers for normal, 24/7 operations. However, currently, the department employs only two full-time dispatchers, and finding personnel to fill the open positions has proven challenging, according to Wu.
The Ludlow Police Department’s dispatch services will be handled by Springfield’s dispatch department from 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. nightly, while Ludlow Fire Rescue’s dispatch will be provided by Keene Mutual Aid in Keene, N.H.
Dispatcher Staci Bishop explained to the board at its Sept. 21 meeting that morale among Ludlow’s dispatchers has been low for nearly all of 2026 due to a perception among department personnel that the continued existence of the department is in question, and that the difficulty in recruitment and retention is exacerbated by a lack of assurance that dispatchers’ jobs will exist past June of 2027. When board Vice Chair Justin Hyjek assured those present that the dispatch department was funded through fiscal year 2027, Bishop claimed that this was the first time she or any of the dispatchers had been told of this fact.
Additionally, Bishop claimed, “It’s been the push from [Fire Chief Ben Whalen] since he started to get rid of” the dispatch department, alleging that communication and emails from dispatchers to the fire department have frequently gone unanswered.
When Hyjek thanked Bishop for her “candor,” a testy exchanged followed in which Bishop accused the board of holding executive sessions during which it discussed disbanding the dispatch department. Hyjek denied the accusations and admonished Bishop for speaking about discussions for which she was not present, adding, “We’ve had two resignations, we’ve had two notices given, we’ve had to discuss other personnel matters, so you can infer what those meetings were.”
At its next meeting on Oct. 5, the board approved allowing the outsourcing of dispatch services to Springfield and Keen, with Wu telling the board that she would like to reevaluate the arrangement on a quarterly basis. Due to the arrangements with Springfield and Keene, Ludlow will continue to have dispatch services for its police, fire, and ambulance departments on a round-the-clock basis.
Also on Oct. 5, the board approved the request of the Side Hill Cronchers Snowmobile Club to utilize certain portions of public roads in town as part of its trail network. While the board approves a nearly identical list each year, in 2025, a landowner withdrew permission from the club for use of her land, leading the club to request use of a portion of Godfrey Road. According to a presentation given by Assistant Trail Master Kevin Berge, without use of the requested portion of Godfrey Road, the statewide trail network would become noncontiguous, which Berge intimated would result in lost revenue for Ludlow and the surrounding area due to snowmobilers losing access or finding other, unrestricted areas in which to ride. Berge also said the club would place additional signage notifying riders of the speed limit and the fact that the affected portion of Godfrey Road is a “sensitive area.”
Resident Peter Jenkins rose to oppose the approval, telling the board his house is “20 feet from snowmobiles racing by at all hours of the day and night, not obeying the speed limit.” Jenkins also reminded club President John Murphy that he was told before last year’s season that use of Godfrey road would be temporary, and that the club would investigate alternate ways to keep the trails connected. Murphy detailed some of the things he has attempted, but admitted he has ultimately been unsuccessful in rectifying the situation. “We don’t love riding on the roads,” Murphy said, but due to the circumstances and what they are, we need to use Godfrey road to keep our trail intact.”
Jenkins implored the selectboard to visit Godfrey Road and inspect the damage he believes is caused by snowmobiles prior to approving use of the road, as did resident Kevin Kuntz, who said he allows the club to utilize a portion of his land, but sympathizes with Jenkins, and feels that snowmobilers create additional hazards on the road.
Ultimately, the board approved the club’s request to utilize its full list of requested roads, including the disputed portion of Godfrey Road.
The Ludlow Selectboard meets on the first Monday of each month, at 6 p.m., in the Ludlow Town Hall auditorium.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly inferred that Staci Bishop was referring to Police Chief Jeffrey Warfle and the police department when speaking about the elimination on dispatch services. In fact, her comment was in reference to Fire Chief Ben Whalen and the fire department.