Despite two recent setbacks, a multi-town agreement to move the handling of 911 calls from Harvard to a new regional center at Devens is still on track, Town Administrator Tim Bragan told Selectmen this week.

Although it abuts Devens and was one of the first towns approached to join the proposed Nashoba Valley Regional Emergency Communications Center, Shirley this week chose not to join. And to the surprise of Harvard officials, Devens Fire Chief Thomas Garrity, a principal advocate and organizer of the regional center plan, last week announced his retirement.

To date, three communities have agreed to join the consortium: the towns of Harvard and Lancaster, and Devens. Harvard Selectmen approved the change early last month. Lancaster and Devens voted to participate earlier in the year. And the selectmen of a fourth town, Lunenberg, were scheduled to vote later this week.

Selectmen in Shirley considered the matter this week, Bragan reported.

"They didn't vote, but they opted out," he said. "I don't know what that actually means that they didn't vote. But they had the discussion, they weren't in favor, and they left it at that."

Possibly, Bragan suggested, the Shirley selectmen wanted to keep their future options open.

The resignation of Chief Garrity has the potential to be a greater setback. But Bragan said that once he heard the news—relayed to him by former Harvard fire chief and selectman Peter Warren—he immediately sought and received assurances from MassDevelopment director George Ramirez that Garrity would "stay involved" even though he is no longer a Devens employee.

Regardless of the outcome of the Lunenberg vote on Thursday, Harvard selectmen have already voted to sign an inter-municipal agreement with Lancaster and Devens even though the original agreement proposes a five-town center. Studies done for Harvard Selectmen by Police Chief Edward Denmark show that with three members, Harvard will still have gross savings of more than $100,000 per year.

Once the Lunenberg results are in, Bragan said, the draft five-town inter-municipal agreement will be amended to reflect either a three- or four-town membership and presented to Harvard Selectmen for signing at their Nov. 1 meeting.