County wants city to fix discrepancies in 911 dispatch system

Published 12:07 pm Monday, February 12, 2018

 

 

Some Washington residents and businesses could see their addresses changed.

Beaufort County wants the city to correct errors discovered in the city’s 911 address system after the county took over 911 dispatching for the city, according to a memorandum from John Rodman, the city’s community and cultural services director, to the mayor and City Council. “This would require changing the existing addresses for a number of city residents and businesses,” Rodman wrote in the memorandum.

Several city residents have address locations that are referenced to a structure or building name and not a street name. “The problem with a building name address is that it is difficult to provide an accurate location for 911 dispatch and emergency services,” Rodman wrote in the memorandum.

Rodman is seeking the City Council’s guidance regarding the county’s request.

The county determined address discrepancies — which need to be corrected — at the following locations: Maryanna Mobile Estates, The Courtyard apartments, Havens Wharf, Armory Pointe apartments and Cherry Run Center. There likely are other locations that need address changes, according to the memorandum.

The council could provide that guidance during its meeting Monday.

The memorandum notes that sometimes it is necessary to change an assigned address, with one of the reasons for doing so is that any address-related issue that causes confusion and potentially delays a timely and efficient emergency response.

During its meeting Monday, the council could award a contract to provide aviation fuel to Washington-Warren Airport. The city received sealed bids from prospective fuel providers Feb. 1.

The supplier whose bid is accepted could be awarded a five-year contract to deliver and pump fuel into above-ground storage tanks at the airport. The bid specification form included other services, equipment and training requirements the city wants the supplier to provide at no or minimal cost to the city. The supplier who receives the contract is required to provide a minimum of general liability insurance coverage of $1 million, according to the bid specification form.

The bid specification form outlined the city’s requirements, which include the fuel supplier providing the airport to lease a 2010 or newer stainless steel jet fuel refueler with a minimum capacity of 500 gallons and a maximum capacity of 3,500 gallons and fully equipped for flight-line fuel servicing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Mike Voss

Mike Voss is the contributing editor at the Washington Daily News. He has a daughter and four grandchildren. Except for nearly six years he worked at the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va., in the early to mid-1990s, he has been at the Daily News since April 1986.
Journalism awards:
• Pulitzer Prize for Meritorious Public Service, 1990.
• Society of Professional Journalists: Sigma Delta Chi Award, Bronze Medallion.
• Associated Press Managing Editors’ Public Service Award.
• Investigative Reporters & Editors’ Award.
• North Carolina Press Association, First Place, Public Service Award, 1989.
• North Carolina Press Association, Second Place, Investigative Reporting, 1990.
All those were for the articles he and Betty Gray wrote about the city’s contaminated water system in 1989-1990.
• North Carolina Press Association, First Place, Investigative Reporting, 1991.
• North Carolina Press Association, Third Place, General News Reporting, 2005.
• North Carolina Press Association, Second Place, Lighter Columns, 2006.
Recently learned he will receive another award.
• North Carolina Press Association, First Place, Lighter Columns, 2010.
4. Lectured at or served on seminar panels at journalism schools at UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Maryland, Columbia University, Mary Washington University and Francis Marion University.

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