THE PUBLIC MIND: SCOTT CITY SHOULD FIGHT AGAINST REGRESSIVE THINKING

Open letter to Scott City Council and residents of Country Club Estates:

I'm sorry that I can't attend the next city council meeting scheduled Monday. I, like most people, have to make a living for my family so I will be at work.

I did attend the previous meeting on Aug. 5. I listened to what everyone had to say on the matter of changing house numbers, especially in Country Club Estates Subdivision where I live. After the meeting concluded, I felt that there had not been one valid reason given by those opposing the change that would change my mind.

While my wife and I did not care for the way the city went about informing us of the change, we are for changing the numbers if it meant getting all the house numbers in this town correct. Granted, there are going to be areas where Mr. Smith and Mr. Young might have made mistakes, but these can be worked out when brought to their attention. For the people to rail against the changes because they don't have the time or because "it's always been this way" is beyond me. When do we admit the numbers are wrong and then proceed to correct them? When is a good time to do this?

In my opinion, now is as good a time as any. To leave these numbers alone simply because "it's always been this way" is regressive thinking and dangerous to any city that wants better things for its people. An example would be the 911 system to be voted on in the near future. The cost for this system will be very reasonable and is much needed, but due to the regressive thinking people (along with those apathetic people who can't seem to find time to vote) I doubt that it will pass. Some people state they did not have the time to change their house numbers and send out change of addresses. My reply to that is that my wife and I are as busy as most anyone else but I can't imagine that we're too busy to pay our bills and that is when the majority of our change of addresses can be done. For other change of addresses, the postal service allows 12 months to get them done.

As to the question of legal documents, I am no lawyer (would I be working shift work if I was?) but I believe common sense dictates that my will would not be contested simply because my house address changed due to a city council mandate!

By the end of the meeting, I was dismayed that the council put this action on hold. I hope that they will proceed with it after things cool down a bit. I believe quite a few people, after getting over the notification letter, will agree that this needs to be done.

There is now a petition going around the country club asking that the area be exempted from the change. My understanding on the exemption is that a release would have to be signed by each family releasing the city of responsibility if an emergency vehicle is delayed in getting to their homes. This might be fine with those wanting to keep the numbers the way they are, but my wife and I will not sign any such release because I want the emergency vehicles at my house in the quickest time possible. This is the bottom line for us.

A couple of years ago my mother suffered a seizure at her home on an early Sunday morning. My dad called me and as soon as I got off the phone my wife called city dispatch. I don't know where the police were located when he got the call, but I beat him there (I knew where I was going but maybe he had to go by city blocks and by house numbers to find the house.) It also took the ambulance a while to get there (thank God for Les Crump and the Scott City First Responders who had arrived not long after I did). I never did ask Mr. Crump, but I can now understand why the ambulance might have taken so long.

Some people might say that the police should know where they live and be able to just drive up to their house in responding to a call. Come on, be sensible! These policemen don't make a lot of money so there is turnover that goes on as they go on to better paying jobs. I would not want a new policeman wasting time trying to find my house because he hadn't had enough time to learn that Mark Castleman lives at the end of the street.

One more thing about the petition going around. I hope the people who have children at home or maybe take care of their grandchildren at home think long and hard about them before they selfishly sign their names to it. One day they might need an ambulance as soon as possible because a small life is on the line.

To the council, I hope you have the guts and determination to stand by your decision and see this through. You know it's the right thing to do and now is the right time to do it.

To anyone who thinks they can constructively add to any of the changes to be made, please don't hesitate to contact your council person and discuss it with them.

Mark S. Castleman

Scott City