Jim Thorpe plans readdressing in Leisureland

Just when it looked like Jim Thorpe Borough was pumping the brakes on readdressing efforts in some parts of town, Council instructed its planning commission Thursday night to finish the layout it already started.

Homes in Glen Onoko Estates were recently readdressed in part to make them easier to locate should emergency services be called to respond to a residence.

Last month, homeowners in the Leisureland area of the borough voiced their opposition to the plan after they received letters from Jim Thorpe’s planning commission that a similar process was starting there.

“I think it’s a liability issue and it has to get done,” Planning Commission Chairman Louis Hall said on Thursday. “In the event that someone has a heart attack or something and emergency services can’t get there in time because they can’t find it, that’s a big problem. We’re not following our own ordinance if we don’t do this.”

During a council workshop last month, resident John Martino said nobody has ever had trouble finding his residence.

“I see no logical rationale for changing the addresses,” Martino said.

Councilman Jay Miller, who last month said he didn’t support going any further with the readdressing, stood by his claim Thursday.

“You can do it, and I’ll vote the way I want to vote,” he said. “There was a lot of discontent here last month. I would suggest that all concerned get heads together and get it worked out.”

According to Hall, Thorpe wouldn’t be following state guidelines if it stopped the process now. Some homes that are being looked at have odd and even numbered addresses on the same side of the street, he added.

“I know it seems like a pain in the butt to change addresses, but the changeover is really painless compared to what it was 10 or 15 years ago,” Hall said.

Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joe Schatz said he sees both sides of the coin.

“It’s a challenge with a new address with homeowner’s insurance and everything you have to change, but from an emergency response end of it, it did make a big difference with the green signs that clearly mark where you’re at,” Schatz said.

Last month, Council President Greg Strubinger said the borough “just recently began to hear feedback on the readdressing and planned to put a pause on the process.”

On Thursday, he advocated for allowing the planning commission to finish its process.

“The first responders now can probably navigate their way up there, but they won’t be around forever and other people will eventually have to find these residences,” Strubinger said.

Hall indicated the planning commission is already more than 80 percent complete with its work and would present a final plan back to council so it can get comments from the public before sending it for review by the Carbon County Emergency Management Agency.