Gordon, Comm. Center seek resolution to duplicate addresses, sequences in town

GORDON – You call 911 for an ambulance. The ambulance doesn’t show up. Where are they? Across town, because someone over there has the same address as you.

The Schuylkill County Communications Center says this scenario was a reality this summer, and it is one of around 100 address discrepancies in Gordon borough they and borough council are looking to resolve.

About three dozen residents came out for a special meeting Monday evening at the Citizens Fire Co. Social Hall to hear about the issues and for council to hear concerns about any possible changes.

“There might be a 123 Main Street right next door to a 789 Main Street, a 100 block and a 700 block house right next to each other,” Solicitor Christopher Reidlinger said. “Usually they have the odds on one side of the street, the evens on the other side of the street, there’s a whole bunch of borough addresses that don’t make sense in that regard.”

He said there have been several instances where emergency services were delayed because such services couldn’t find the address.

“It’s to make sure that when you call 911, you can get someone to you,” Nick Maziekas, of the county, explained.

The vast majority of proposed address changes are from Elm Street south, and many are in a new development under construction at the very south end of town.

One example given was 202 East Plane Street. There is one on either side of Biddle, and the resident of one said at Monday’s meeting she has had to redirect EMS to the other house before.

Some residents raised concerns about having to change addresses over for driver’s licenses, bills, and such, while some questioned the need to have blocks align as they do in most other communities.

At the regular meeting of borough council following the special meeting, no formal action was taken, though council members debated formally approving address changes in the new year.

Council President Jeffrey Hoffman said the timing would keep address changes from affecting the holiday season.

It is not the first major address change in northern Schuylkill County this century.

In 2005, Route 54 through William Penn and Lost Creek — which had four different names — received the name Mount Olive Boulevard from Shenandoah to Butler Township. Some homes along Route 54 in the township still bear both their old and new house number.

Along with Route 54, several other streets in the township were renamed, or named for the first time, such as the streets in Raven Run.

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