The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Still plenty of resistance for nronosed street name rhanaps Changes will only add to confusion, not eliminate it, say concemed residents By Melanie Hennessey CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF While the list of proposed local street name changes may have shrunk, residents whose addresses are still slated lor amendments aren't too happy about it. That was the general consen- sus at a public meeting held Thursday evening at the Milton Sports Centre. About 30 citizens turned out to voice their oppo- sition to the changes that aim to eliminate duplicate or similar street names and out-of- sequence numbers that current- ly exist to ensure emergency vehicles are dispatched to the right places. The changes also address roads that are split into sections that never meet. While the Town recently took 10 of the proposed name changes off the table, a little over 20 are still being consid- ered that would affect about 613 properties. Residents who live in those areas fought to convince the Town Thursday that there are many reasons why their addresses should stay the same, such as to preserve historical value and avoid further street name confusion. "If its not broken, it doesn't need to be fixed," one woman said. Several people also expressed concern about the costs associ- ated with changing their addresses on their identification and legal documents. "All I have is an old-age pen- sion cheque," Parkway Drive West resident Pat Gunn said. "I'm already paying your lawyer (through taxes), so why should I pay mine?" She also noted that when she bas called 911 in the past, emer- gency services personnel have never had a problem finding her house. Town Director of Planning and Development Mel lovio explained council asked staff to look into a policy for reimburs- ing residents' costs. "I'm not saying the Town is going to cover anything at this point," he noted, adding it The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - A3 depends on the extent of the costs staff calculates. Fellow Parkway Drive West resident Jean Lillie said she thinks the changes should be based on data that shows where there've been dispatching mix- ups in the past. "It should be fact and not what people perceive (to be a problem)," she said, noting that at the last public meeting nobody could cite an example of a problem. Mike Timbers of the Milton Fire Department said the team working on the changes will definitely be looking into past documentation. "It will be based on fact," he said. He also spoke about a recent incident where an ambulance arrived at the wrong address on No. 5 Sideroad because the bouse number is duplicated. While it was suggested that emergency services staff simply needs to learn the areas of town where there could be address confusion, Timbers told the audience that as the town becomes larger, it gets harder for them to remember where the problem areas are. "We are 100 per cent confi- • see MAIL on page A12 ............