Canton renumbering sides square off Carman talks in Canton

CANTON - One man appeared before borough council again - one more time.

He came to protest the issue that has become so controversial in this small town: house renumbering.

Another man just wanted to know why - why the controversy, why the opposition, why the fight.

On one side of the borough chambers at the borough council meeting this week was Brian Greenough, with the committee to stop the renumbering in the borough, who said he had about 300 signatures on a petition opposing it.

On the other side was J. Scott May, the borough's emergency management coordinator.

Their interaction illustrated in somewhat dramatic fashion just how far apart they were on the issue, and showed - in the matter of a few minutes - the stance of each side in the disagreement.

Each man stood as a symbol for each group.

"I've not heard a valid reason why we're protesting these numbers," May said. "The first responders have told you that it's going to help us, and the only excuse I've heard for protesting the number change is that people are attached to a number." His comments drew some chatter in the audience.

"I'm looking to hear a valid excuse of why you don't want to change, other than it might take you a little bit of work in sending some mail back in and stuff," he continued. "It's changing for safety reasons for the first responders to get to your places, and there's a method to the madness that we know how to work here. Nobody's saying why they don't want to change, that's what I'm looking to hear."

Greenough began to speak about other places where boroughs were left alone in regard to their street numbers.

"That's all I hear, I don't care about any of them," May told him.

"They recognized that people did not want it and that it wasn't necessary…" Greenough began to say.

"That's fine, but you're not telling me why you don't want it, other than you're attached to your number…," May countered.

"We don't think it's necessary," Greenough said. "It's a lot of bother and we don't think it's going to help us…"

"The county went to years and years of trouble and thousands and thousands of dollars to make this work, and you don't have to have a reason to stand here and burn up 45 minutes of council's time," May shot back.

They were just two of the several people who spoke at the meeting on the issue during the public comment period, which lasted about an hour.

In the end, no council member made a motion on rescinding the house renumbering. Opponents of the system wanted it reversed.

Although the residents objecting to the renumbering have not had an issue with the renumbering in the township, where they say it's needed due to the rural route system in place, they have opposed it in the borough. They feel that the city-style addressing that already existed in the borough is adequate and has worked well during the time 911 service has been available in Canton.

Council president Ken Robertson said residents' safety has been a reason behind council's decision to get behind readdressing/renumbering. "We are convinced, by experts in the field, this is the best way to go," he said, when asked for comment. During last month's meeting, county commissioner Doug McLinko spoke to this aspect, saying the readdressing is part of a nationwide effort to enhance public safety - a comment echoed by another visitor at this week's meeting, Bradford County Coroner and Western Alliance Executive Director Tom Carman.

Also, McLinko last month had reviewed what deficiencies he said the system fixed in the borough, noting it had run out of whole numbers, saying that "fractions don't show up on 911 screens."

Bradford County noted, on its Web site, that the purpose of the 911 readdressing, which has resulted in the house renumbering, is to provide addresses in a uniform format that allows the 911 directors, dispatchers and local government officials to communicate with the public during a 911 call and pinpoint the exact location of the call for the emergency personnel.

According to Robertson, council's reconsideration of the house renumbering issue this week - and its subsequent decision to keep the system in place - "unequivocally" puts an end to deliberations over the matter by council.

When asked for comment, Robertson said of the renumbering: "It stands."

But during the meeting, Greenough had something to say about the future for the committee opposing the renumbering.

Robertson had pointed out that the 300 signatures on the petitions Greenough presented weren't a majority, when the number of people in the borough of voting age is more than 1,300.

Standing by Robertson, Greenough said, "well, we can continue our work."

He wasn't giving up.

"And if you will be satisfied with half of 1,300, then we will strive for that goal."

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com. CANTON - Tom Carman had some calming words as he spoke on the house renumbering controversy at the Canton Borough Council meeting this week.

"We're here in peace," he said, which drew some laughs, seeming to ease the tensions.

Carman, the county coroner and the executive director of Western Alliance Emergency Services, Inc., expressed support for the house renumbering. He thinks it will allow emergency responders to find people more quickly. This is due to how the system is not just based on house numbers, but how far apart houses are numbered, every 10.56 feet. He also pointed out that it's a nationally proven system.

Currently, he said, first responders can find people, but the question is how quickly they can do so.

Also, he pointed that, with so many changes of addresses with people moving in and out, even emergency responders familiar with the area can get confused. The new system will be an additional tool to emergency responders in finding people, he said.

Carman said he respects the opinions of those who oppose renumbering, but he pointed out that the new system just allows emergency responders to find them more quickly.

"We're a community that cares, and how can we best serve that community?" he said. "Please don't get mad at the messenger because we're just looking at a national system that works that we thought we would support because it will simplify the whole process of numerics (house numbers)."

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.