Stirring the address pot

To the Editor:

I thought it might be fun to comment on the E-911 project. First, I understand that we are a rural and very spread out community. In some cases, the new system will perform as intended if not better, but how is it going to improve anything by changing my address from "15 I Don't Get It Lane" to "25 I Don't Get It Lane"?

How about if something happened at Rosauers and their address was changed, would dispatch relay the new address to emergency responders or just say Rosauers?

I don't know the number of people who's addresses are going to change by only one digit, but I would venture to guess the number is significant. If the entire street or road needs to be named or renamed depending on how far it is from someone's favorite mile marker post, that may be justifiable, but if my house is on fire, it should be easy to find on an existing road.

If I need an ambulance it may be harder to pinpoint, but I think our ambulance crews are smart enough to find the location on a street or road that is established in an orderly manner. If I wanted a new address I would move.

I would like to see the group implementing this system take the responsibility of doing the paperwork and footwork to do the address changes. If it is too expensive, apply for a grant. Many agencies seem to get grants for their projects.

I don't mean to stir the pot, but probably have, I guess I'm good at that sometimes. Things like this need open discussion beforehand, so everyone's concerns are on the table and an agreement can be met to satisfy all parties involved. Wouldn't it be nice if more situations were handled with both sides actually listening to each other and trying to work together?

Chris Swenson

Libby