DALTON, Ga. — A countywide project to change confusing and hard-to-find addresses is winding down.
Dalton Fire Department Capt. Jeff Dugger, city fire marshal and safety coordinator, said most city residents and businesses received notice of changes by Nov. 15.
Whitfield County GIS Coordinator Jess Hansen said the county also had mailed out the bulk of its notices by then. Residents now should use new addresses.
The county hired Minnesota-based GeoComm to lead the address project for about $500,000 in early 2008. The goal was to make it easier for emergency responders to locate addresses.
ADDRESS CHANGE EXAMPLES* BEFORE: Glenwood Avenue changed to Cleveland Highway near Springdale Road.NOW: It remains Glenwood Avenue to the North Bypass and then changes to Cleveland Highway.* BEFORE: Morris Street changed to Murray Avenue and Chatsworth Highway and then to Airport Road.NOW: It remains Morris Street from Thornton Avenue to Walnut Avenue. After Walnut, it turns into Airport Road.* BEFORE: Abutment Road ran from Walnut Avenue to Brickyard Road and then turned into Lakeland Road.NOW: The road is Abutment from Walnut Avenue to the South Bypass.* BEFORE: East Mount Haven Drive was located to the left of Mount Haven Drive (located off College Drive). After that intersection, Mount Haven Drive turned left and became West Mount Haven Drive.NOW: East Mount Haven changed to Carson Street and the rest of the road is known simply as Mount Haven Drive.* BEFORE: Wood Valley Apartments, Dalton State College’s student housing, was 600 College Drive.NOW: The apartments are located on Roadrunner Place off College Drive.Source: Dalton Fire Department Captain Jeff Dugger
“There’s nothing worse than being an emergency provider and arriving at a location and the first thing that people say is, ‘Why did it take you so long to get here?'” County Commission Chairman Mike Babb said.
Mr. Dugger said the post office will continue delivering mail to former addresses for up to one year. Emergency responders also are using both addresses to avoid confusion.
“We’ve had absolutely no problem locating anyone,” said Mr. Dugger.
Mr. Hansen said about 10,500 addresses throughout the county were changed.
Mr. Dugger said about 3,300 of those were in the city.
“It wound up being bigger than we thought it would be,” he said. “There were more people affected than what we thought as problems were pointed out.”
There were a number of reasons for address changes. Mr. Dugger said street names that sounded too similar were changed, as were contiguous roads with different names.
Drives leading to three or more residents — such as those to apartments and condominiums — were given unique names. Addresses that were out of numerical order or didn’t follow the correct odd/even pattern also changed, officials said.
Whitfield County Fire Chief Carl Collins said it helps to have about 800 private drives in the county now named. Before, emergency responders often had to discern addresses from a bunch of mailboxes at the end of an unmarked road, he said.
“It’s all been beneficial to us and it should be for all the agencies having to get somewhere in a hurry,” said Mr. Collins.
Mr. Dugger said most street signs have changed in the city and Mr. Collins said most are changed in the county, too.
Mr. Hansen said phone companies soon should finish updating addresses. He said, however, it will be six months to a year before new addresses are updated for Global Positioning System devices.