Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency Director Shank Phelps wants Starkville to rename two roads with similar counterparts in the county before first responders are hampered in life-or-death situations.
Development along Bent Brook and Cottage lanes in Starkville is reaching a point where property owners are seeking addresses, said Golden Triangle Planning and Development District GIS Director Toby Sanford.
The only problem? Bent Brook Drive and Cottage Lane are already established roads in outlying Oktibbeha County.
Confusion between the duplicate roads and the two similar Bent Brook thoroughfares could send first responders to the wrong location, Phelps said.
Renaming the two city roads could easily fix the problem, Phelps said, and a process where city officials contact OCEMA with proposed road names will alleviate future issues.
County officials want to hold a meeting to discuss the roads and the process to name streets soon, and the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors took no formal action on the matter Monday after a presentation by Sanford.
“When an emergency comes, we want people to get to the right location as quickly as possible. I’m worried that something could happen like it is now,” Phelps said. “We’re not trying to take control away from the city and name their roads for them. They can name a street anything they want to, provided there are no duplicates out in the county.”
Oktibbeha County underwent a massive re-addressing process in 2011 to solve issues with duplicate roads, faulty numberings and 911 response efforts, which brought the county up to national 911 standards.
Numerous roads were renamed in the process, and many homeowners received new addresses since designations varied.
Sanford, who assisted the county in the effort, said he’s hopeful the two governing entities can hammer out a compromise on the issue.
“Even though there’s a Bent Brook Drive and Bent Brook Lane, that’s still not enough of a difference for 911,” he said. “You could be on that road and tell a dispatcher ‘Bent Brook’ and have the phone cut off. Cellphones are supposed to show where you’re standing, but say the system didn’t work right, you said that and hung up. First responders don’t know where to go at that point.
“Everyone is in agreement that we can’t have duplicate names. It’s the county’s responsibility to protect the 911 addressing,” Sanford added. “I’m hopeful that we can find a solution to the problem.”
A call to Buddy Sanders, Starkville’s community development director, went unreturned Tuesday. Many aldermen and city officials are in Biloxi this week for the annual Mississippi Municipal League conference.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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