Resident questions city address accuracy
People who are building a new home on a road that is not quite a road are concerned about how emergency responders and package delivery will work.
At Tuesday’s Medford City Council meeting, council members approved granting We Energies access to portion of their utility easement to run natural gas service to a home that will be built at 950 N. Ninth Street in Medford. That portion of North Ninth Street runs from Allman Ave. to the north, except that it really doesn’t.
The road is part of a platted subdivision called Edgewood Estate which received final city council approval last April and exists primarily on paper as a dedicated road right of way with no intention for an actual road to be built through the entire length anytime in the near future. Access to the northern three lots of the subdivision is through a private driveway easement from the corner of Impala Dr. and Malibu Dr.
Allen and Kathy Cypher are building the home at 950 N. Ninth Street and at Tuesday’s meeting noted the road was really an extension of Impala.
“At some point in time that might have to get looked at,” she said. She was primarily concerned with how fire and ambulance crews would know where to go or how to access the property in the case of an emergency there.
“I don’t know how they would know to find that,” she said.
Council member Clem Johnson, who has been involved with fire and ambulance for decades, said the ambulance crews routinely get updated maps showing access points for properties.
Council member Ken Coyer, who is a retired police chief, agreed noting the emergency government would typically provide law enforcement with new address and in dispatch it would be noted if there were things to be aware of. He suggested they contact the sheriff’s department to let them know and confirm how to access the property in case of an emergency.
She also asked about package deliveries and how they would be handled as far as updating the maps used by the Postal Service and parcel delivery companies such as UPS and FedEx. The city does not have an active role in updating those maps.
In other business, council members:
Approved a change to the bartenders license applications to streamline the application from seven pages to two pages. This is intended to make it easier for applicants to fill out with the needed information.
Approved purchasing a Ford Police Interceptor squad car from Hartford-based Ewald Automotive Group for delivery expected in mid to late 2023. Ewald’s price was $38,166 compared to Medford Motors price of $42,290. Neither price includes a trade-in with the city planning to dispose of the existing 2017 squad through an online auction service.
Approved purchasing a new half-ton extended cab 4x4 pickup truck for the public works department from Wheelers Chevrolet of Medford for a price of $37,892.50 compared to a price from Medford Motors of $38,878. When asked by council member Laura Holmes, street and water superintendent Jason Viergutz said delivery wasn’t expected to be for another four to five months. “You may as well order a 2024 model,” Holmes said.
Approved setting city Trick or Treat hours on Sunday, Oct. 30 following the Harvest Days parade until 6 p.m.
