Address changes multiply

Even more address changes might be on the way for some local residents — ones that might affect how quickly rescue officials make it to an emergency.

The Chapel Hill Town Council already must change the name of Martin Luther King Jr. Street, a by-product of the council’s decision last year to rename Airport Road after the civil rights leader.

But the street’s residents might soon have new street numbers to go along with the new name.

The 12 residences along the small street now have addresses like “3A” or “7B.”

“In order to keep consistent with the addressing in town and for 911 purposes we need to make these addresses a 3-digit number,” Deborah Squires, the town’s senior geographic information system technician, wrote in an e-mail to Town Information Officer Catherine Lazorko.

Squires included in the e-mail proposed address changes that would give the residences more traditional addresses such as “101.”

The council naming committee, which is in charge of the street renaming, is currently discussing whether to pursue the initiative independent of the county.

But local emergency personnel say the changes might not have any effect on responders.

“If we get dispatched to 103 or 105 versus 3A or 3B, it really wouldn’t make that big of a difference,” Chapel Hill firefighter David Sasser said.

Robert Bosworth, deputy chief of operations for the Chapel Hill Fire Department, said he does not see the changes adversely affecting response time.

“Is it going to be a big problem? No, as long as (new addresses) are logical and clearly marked,” he said.

The town initiative comes as county emergency management officials begin the first stages of a process to identify problems that might delay emergency personnel response time to 911 calls.

The agency has hired two consulting firms, Geographic Technologies Group and McKim & Creed, to help identify problem areas within the county, said Steven Newton, Orange County Emergency Management Services’ wireless 911 coordinator.

The goal of the project, he said, is to identify street numbers situated in a manner that might confuse emergency personnel — like even house numbers situated on odd-numbered sides of the street.

Newton said the firms will evaluate a database of maps of county roads — maps that currently confuse dispatchers because of their flaws — to identify any problem areas.

Newton said the groups also will look at data that pinpoint a specific address for every business and residence.

“You’re not sure you’re on the house until you’ve passed it,” Bosworth said.

“As dumb as it sounds, to back a fire truck up to find a hydrant could be problematic.”

The council naming committee will hold a second meeting with residents of Martin Luther King Jr. Street on Tuesday to discuss potential names for the street.

Airport Road is set to officially change names May 8.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.