SCOTT CITY OFFICIALS SEEK COOPERATION ON HOUSE RE-NUMBERING

SCOTT CITY -- About 275 people in Scott City are being asked to change their address so that the city will have a consecutive house numbering system.

Changes will be in house numbers only, said Mayor Shirley Young, and not street names. She added that the changes, though inconvenient, are necessary.

"We've got some areas that contain houses numbered 200 and some numbered 900, and that's in the same block." she said. "It's difficult for fire, police and rescue services to locate homes using an address with the numbering system we have now. It's very dangerous."

Young said some residents with correct numbers are being asked to simply display those numbers. She said many house numbers are either non-existent or illegible.

City laws require a house number to be correct and to be visible from across the street, she said. The changes are also being made so that the city will meet postal regulations, the mayor said.

Theon Schlosser, Scott City postmaster, said mail delivery will not be interrupted while address changes are taking place. He said the post office will continue to deliver mail using both the old and new addresses, and residents have one year to change their mailing address with the post office.

"We will use the dual address system, so no one has to worry about not getting their mail or that it will be delayed," he said.

Many of the address changes will be made in the town's Country Club subdivision, Young said, where the numbering system is very inconsistent with the rest of the city's.

The city is giving residents 30 days to make adjustments to their house numbers. Young said is shouldn't cost anything for most residents to change their address with the license bureau and other agencies.

The mayor said she isn't sure how the city's numbering system got so "out of whack." But she said city officials have tried for years to correct it. As far back at 1974, the city council attempted to correct the numbering system.

"How long can you keep not doing something about a problem that you're aware of?" she said. "The problem only grows."

About a year ago, several councilmen decided to canvass the town to determine what changes had to be made. Now, it's just a matter of citizen cooperation, she said.

"I know it's inconvenient, but we're trying to get this done right once and for all," she said.

Les Crump, the town's fire chief, said the changes will be welcomed by the city's rescue teams.

"Most of the people who work with the ambulance service are not residents of Scott City, so it is especially important that they aren't confused when it comes to finding a house."

Residents will be able to voice concerns and ask questions about the numbering system at the next meeting of the City Council, to be held Aug. 5. Study session begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall.