Letter from county fuels readdressing controversy
By LISA R. HOWELER Times Reporter
SAYRE - More fuel was added to the fire of the readdressing controversy in the Valley Thursday after Sayre Borough officials were notified of a letter which arrived at the borough office late Wednesday afternoon informing the borough certain streets will be readdressed starting today.
Those streets - Center Street, Franklin Street, Lewis Street, Lincoln Street and West Lockhart Street - originate in Athens Township, which has already been readdressed.
The issue is not where the streets originate, but borough officials' understanding the county would meet with them before continuing with address changes in Sayre Borough, said Sayre Mayor Denny Thomas Thursday.
“We're a little bit surprised,” he said. “We asked the county to hold off until we could meet with the consultant and apparently they're going to go forward anyhow. I just think that once again they're going ahead and doing what they want to do. It's not the way we were going to do business I thought, but apparently they have their own agenda. Apparently they aren't listening to anybody.”
Officials of the three boroughs in the Valley understand why addresses need to be changed in rural areas and why duplicate street names need to be changed in all areas, but do not believe the house numbers need to be changed on borough streets.
The letter to the borough, dated March 30, but dropped off at the borough hall by Bradford County Commissioner Janet Lewis on March 29, was sent after Athens Township officials released a press release to area newspapers advising residents in Athens Township and on the streets which run into Sayre Borough their addresses need to be changed with the appropriate individuals (billing companies, etc.) by July 15. The borough was not notified the change would continue into Sayre Borough, said Thomas and Sayre Borough Council president Jim Daly.
“In this particular case, I presume the county personnel are following their timetable and/or tasking and are doing what they feel they must do,” said Daly. “I understand they feel a strong opinion that these five streets must be dealt with immediately (given Athens Township's action) to prevent any confusion among public safety and emergency services. However, the letter raises three immediate questions. First, how can they proceed on renumbering when the borough has not endorsed or approved the action? Second, why were Sayre Borough addresses submitted with Athens Township addresses? Third, who made that decision and finally, why wasn't the council or the residents/business owners properly notified last year?”
As usual, there has been no communication, except after the fact, concerning the county's plans, Thomas said.
The commissioners, who originally approved the readdressing project - aimed at improving emergency response mainly in rural areas of the county - have made only one effort to contact any of the Valley municipalities and that was through commissioner Doug McLinko, who took it upon himself to contact the mayors, he added.
“Apparently he's tried his best. I'll give him credit. He's the only commissioner to contact me or the borough,” he said. “I can imagine his hands are tied.”
The county canceled a meeting with Sayre, Athens and South Waverly Borough officials in February, saying they wanted to wait until a consultant that was being sought was hired. The consultant will complete the project, which has been in the process for approximately three years. McLinko said Thursday consultants have been interviewed and that one should be chosen in time for the commissioners' regular meeting next Thursday, when the commissioners will be able to officially approve the hire of the consultant.
McLinko said Thursday he also was under the understanding the readdressing of Sayre, South Waverly and Athens Boroughs would be halted until the consultant could be brought on board.
“This whole readdressing thing should have been frozen until they got this consultant,” he said. “If these people, who are the first responders and are on the council, are saying ‘we don't need it,' then how can we do it?”
Even the idea the county is hiring a consultant has Thomas hot under the collar.
“The bottom line is they started this mess and now they can't finish it. They have to pay, using Bradford County taxpayers' money, to bring in a consultant . . . to finish the job they started and couldn't handle,” he said.
The readdressing project has been wrought with various changes in project managers. The project is now being overseen by the county planning office through Global Information Systems Coordinator Scott Molnar. But even Molnar's role in the project is slightly confusing, considering communications about the project, few and far between according to Valley municipality officials, have come in writing from Karin Niemeyer, Bradford County 911 Director.
“Everything she does is through written correspondence. I don't why she can't meet face to face. I don't understand why they can't just send someone up to talk to us,” he said.
Niemeyer's signature is on the latest letter as well and in it she advises the Sayre Borough Council, “at the present time, the county would like to deliver a select number of addresses in Sayre Borough as a result of the Athens Township readdressing project. The addresses in question are located on five streets that originate in Athens Township and end in Sayre Borough. . . . The county has no intention of delivering any other addresses at this time.”
It is the third paragraph, though, which has borough officials angry, feeling as if the county will do what they want, no matter what local boroughs say, said Thomas.
The paragraph reads, “An important point to note is that we are not readdressing these structures, they have already been readdressed and submitted to the Harrisburg Post Office. We are simply trying to deliver the official notification of the change.”
Borough officials continue to feel as if the county is forcing them to change their addresses, overriding the borough's authority to oversee the governing of their own municipality.
“I don't mean to be sarcastic here, but probably next year they're going to be telling us what color to paint our houses in Sayre,” said Thomas.
Sayre Borough isn't alone in its feeling of being forced into changing addresses. Last month, Athens Borough voted to rescind the 911 ordinance they had originally approved as an agreement with the county. Thomas believes Sayre should have done the same.
“We did not rescind the ordinance. That is one thing we didn't do, but should've done,” he said. “Sayre never rescinded the ordinance. I asked (the council) to do it. They wouldn't do it and now (the county) is just going to shove it down our throat.”
[glow=red,2,300]I am willing to bet that this is not the last we will see of this issue.[/glow]