DANVILLE – Some Montour County residents will be getting new addresses next year. In preparation for the upcoming merger of the Montour and Columbia County 911 systems, problems were found with addresses in Montour County.
Commissioner chairman Ken Holdren outlined at least one address issue, “We have numbering issues where one side of the street, the numbers ascend and on the other side of the street the numbers descend. We have issues of even and odd numbers on the same side of the street.”
Holdren said it is a matter of public safety to ensure emergency responders can find a location quickly and accurately.
Commissioner Trevor Finn says they are aware re-addressing will not be popular, “It’s going to be an inconvenience. It’s going to be unpopular. I don’t believe it’s going to cost people anything. If it does, it’ll be a little bit. It’ll cost businesses some money so they can change their stationery and things of that nature, but it’s necessary. We have to do it.”
According to Holdren, a pilot study will be done in Mayberry Township and Danville’s Fourth Ward to estimate the scope of the project, “We’ve had estimates of as high as 95 percent. We don’t believe that’s accurate, so we’re going to do two pilots; one in a more densely populated section of Danville and the other in a rural township.”
Commissioners have already met with nine of the eleven municipalities in Montour County to get their approval for a resolution that will put addressing into the county’s hands. Municipalities will maintain street naming responsibilities. New addresses will not be assigned until April 2017, at the earliest.
