SOUTHWICK – The Town of Southwick held an informational session at the town hall on Wednesday night for the residents of the six different streets that will experience a name change.
The streets that have been selected by the town to be changed are Evergreen Terrace, Evergreen Street, Hillcrest Avenue, Two States Avenue, Southwick Hill, and Island Way. Implementation of the Next Generation 911 System that Southwick Dispatch uses for all emergency calls throughout the community is forcing town officials to change some streets names.
When there is an emergency, the system has a map that immediately locates where the emergency is taking place. Although the system reads the location, the name similarity of some streets, roads, and avenues can present a confusion to EMT’s (Emergency Medical Technicians) when responding to a call.
Southwick Chief of Police Kevin Bishop speaks to the public. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Sgt. Sanders, safety officer for the Southwick Police Department, has worked on this project for months and has come up with some possible options for the streets that will be renamed:
– Evergreen Terrace to Hemlock Terrace or Spruce Street
– Hillcrest Ave to Lewis Lane or Summit Lane
– Two States Ave to Massconn Drive or VFW Drive
– Southwick Hill to Box Car Drive or Whistle Stop Lane
– Evergreen Street to Ice House Lane or Middle Pond Lane
Sanders noted that since Island Way is off of Island Pond Road, the homes on Island Way will automatically become part of Island Pond Road.
After Sanders read the choices of the new names that had been selected, residents in attendance had their concerns. Dan Thorne was skeptical about people speaking with him on the phone understanding Massconn Drive or VFW Drive. He believes there will be unnecessary explanation on how to spell the name of the street and what it means when talking to that person on the phone.
“Neither of them are things people will understand on the phone,” said Thorne.
Leonard Viscito didn’t see Massconn or VFW being appropriate street names.
Sgt. Kirk Sanders speaks to the crowd during the informational session on Wednesday night. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
“Massconn makes absolutely no sense,” said Viscito. “We need to come back with some better names that are appropriate.”
A number of residents agreed that they weren’t satisfied with the choices for the new street names. Ben Coyle, the legal counsel for the Town of Southwick, noted that residents could gather together with their neighbors and come up with a couple of names that they may like. Following that, there could be another informational session to go over those names and discuss it. Coyle did add that it would be important for the public to make sure none of those new street names are duplicates of any street names already used throughout Southwick.
Once the street names are changed, several aspects involving a homeowner will be impacted. According to Sanders, the address on drivers licenses can be changed by going to the RMV (Registry of Motor Vehicles) at no cost and will be given a sticker to place on the back of the license to write on. The post office will be given a template with the new streets and there is no expectation that there will be any issues. For deeds, the old address will stay on the deed along with the new address.
Although some residents wondered how there could be so much confusion with finding a certain address in event of an emergency call, Chief of Police Kevin Bishop informed the public that emergency calls are never perfect. Bishop noted the call could be coming from a young child on a cell phone who doesn’t give out enough accurate information or someone who just says the name of the street but not the address.
Several residents of the streets that will be changed were in attendance. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
“Half of the time, we’re lucky if we get the right town,” said Bishop.
Fire Chief Russ Anderson mentioned that if an emergency call is coming from a land line phone, the Next Generation 911 System will be able to pinpoint the exact location, but if someone is using a cell phone, the addresses aren’t always as accurate. Making sure there are no similar street names is crucial to first responders.
“That’s where it really balances out,” said Anderson.
Sanders stressed to the residents that this process would be a benefit for the entire community.
“We’re trying to get through this for the safety of the town,” said Sanders.
This past November, that exact issue occurred when Westfield paramedics were on their way to respond to an emergency on Evergreen, but were unsure if the address was on Evergreen Street, Avenue, or Terrace. Southwick EMT’s were then able to get to the call and take care of the situation. It’s a prime example that Sanders believes could have ended much differently.
Once the new names of the streets are decided on by the residents, the Select Board will hold a hearing to vote on the matter. It’s expected that the process will last anywhere from two to four months before the new street names are official.
