From our November 23, 2000, edition.

City seeks help with correcting addresses 

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Folks at City Hall have taken on the monumental task of trying correct street addresses throughout Clarendon and are asking for your help.

Citizens are urged to check the street addresses on their December water bills to see if the numbers match up to their house or building. The bills will be mailed next week.

City Secretary Janice Barbee says she has seen much confusion in her time at the city.

“I hear stories such as, ‘I have lived here all my life and am not sure what my house number is,’” she said. “Another example is the south side of the block has an odd, small number, and the house next door has a much larger number that may need to be smaller because the next house may be smaller than the largest number or an even number or no number at all.”

Got that? It gets worse. Matters are even more confused because in some cases the city, the phone company, and the gas company all have different numbers for the same house. When someone wants their water turned on, city officials say they sometimes have to figure out who lived there last before they can find the house.

“We have trouble sending someone out to turn on utilities, deliver packages, or sending an ambulance,” Barbee said. “Some may feel as though the correct number is not important because you can just tell whomever ‘It is the little white house next to the two-story blue house behind all the trees.’ That is all well and good, but if you need an ambulance after dark, it might take a while to find you.”

City Clerk Linda Smith says they hope to correct as many of the problems as possible and provide maps with correct addresses to the Ambulance Authority.

Some addresses may never be right, however. Smith said that generally speaking the east side of town is numbered differently from the west side of town, and it’s been that way too long to change it.

The city asks everyone to check their water bill with the numbers on their house or building and with their street sign to see if they are correct. Everyone should place the correct numbers on their home or building, and the city will take care of notifying emergency personnel and the other utilities of any changes.

While city officials recognize that some people may be reluctant to change an address they’ve had for years, they say their just trying to get the numbers right in case of an emergency and would appreciate everyone’s help. For more information, call City Hall at 874-3438.