St. Charles County addresses dilemma of duplicate street names
Identical addresses in unincorporated parts of county pose problem for emergency personnel
Eschenbrenner, 67, and his wife, Diana, 65, found a ranch-style brick house on four-acres of land. It had plenty of space to house Eschenbrenner's collection of antique tractors.
The house even came with a little sign that hung next to the front door and displayed its address: 1 Hickory Hill Court.Eschenbrenner bought the house and updated all his paperwork to reflect his new address. He also got new titles, which cost $11 each, for his three cars and four trailers,
Soon, he might have to go through all that again.
The St. Charles County Council on Monday passed a bill that establishes the process for duplicate road names in the unincorporated parts of the county.
It turns out there's also a Hickory Hill Court north of Bryan Road just outside of O'Fallon. And that can cause confusion for emergency personnel.
"It could be potentially dangerous or could cause problems," said Bob Watts, director of St. Charles County Dispatch and Alarm. "Our computer is designed so that it throws up an alarm if I would put in a place that has potential duplications. Then I'd have to do some questioning and do some elimination."
Watts said dispatchers often have to question callers to determine which city they are calling from, but sometimes people are not sure.
"There have been numerous times where dispatcher will pick the wrong choice or grabbed the first one (they saw)," he said.
There are about 40 street names that are currently duplicated throughout the county, said Watts. Dispatch and Alarm is working to change duplications in the unincorporated parts of the county, including the Hickory Hill Courts.
That means Eschenbrenner and his five neighbors might have a changed address soon.
Watts said the change most likely would add a one and a zero to the beginning of the current addresses, so Eschenbrenner's new address would be 101 Hickory Hill Court. But that's not something Eschenbrenner and his neighbors are looking forward to.
"We just went through a similar gyration getting the zoning done in Manchester," he said. Plus, he and his wife enjoyed living at 1 Hickory Hill Court because in Manchester they lived at 1 McNulty.
Eschenbrenner's neighbor Nola Roderick, 69, of 6 Hickory Hill Court, said having to change her paperwork would be a major pain. She said she doesn't worry about potential conflicts with emergency services.
"My husband has had a heart problem, and they've been there in seven minutes," she said. "Now that we know there is problem, we'd say 6 Hickory Hill Court in 63348."
Merry Braun, 53, who lives at 6 Hickory Hill Court near O'Fallon, said she is happy she doesn't have to change her address and looking forward to the other addresses changing. About 15 years ago, she frequently received mail that was meant for the owners of 6 Hickory Hill Court near New Melle. Once, a Valentine's Day yard display intended for Braun was accidentally set up at the home near New Melle.
Watts said when there are duplicate addresses, the Dispatch and Alarm changes the addresses on the road with the fewest houses. Hickory Hill Court near O'Fallon consists of only five homes, but Watts said if changes were made to those addresses, then nearby road numbers would be affected.
"Nobody wanted to change their address," Watts said.
Now, homeowners who might have to get a new address have the ability to formally object to the change and request a hearing before the St. Charles County Council, who would make the final decision.
For now, the Dispatch and Alarm can make changes only in the unincorporated areas. Although there are duplicates in the municipalities, such as two Lake Forest Courts, one in St. Charles and one in Lake Saint Louis, it's up to the cities to figure out how to address the problems.
