Business 151 South renamed S. Main St.

     It’s official. Business Highway 151 South in Monticello will now be referred to as S. Main Street for address purposes.

     During the Dec. 19 evening Jones county Supervisors meeting, the board approved the recommendation presented by E911 Coordinator Gary Schwab.

     Schwab told the board the address system throughout Business 151 has been a mess for a long time now. That stretch of roadway had three different names attached to it: Business 151, Amber Road/X-44, and S. Main Street.

     The numbering system for businesses and residents was also out of sync, some using the county system, others using the city address system.

     “Someone who is unfamiliar with the area trying to figure out an address would be totally confused,” said Schwab. “It was time to bite the bullet and attack it.”

     E911 worked with county and City of Monticello officials to come to an agreement on the address changes.

     With Monticello looking ahead to the future, down the line, that entire area could eventually be annexed into city limits. With that in mind, the addresses will follow the city’s numbering system.

     “Why not get the addresses right now,” suggested Schwab rather than go through the hassle of changing them once they become part of the city.

     What is now 197^th Street that comes off S. Main Street and feeds several businesses will be changed to Pontiac Drive. However, those businesses that access 197^th Street but face S. Main Street will have S. Main Street addresses.

     The park-and-ride shelter south of town will be given an address of S. Main Street for the first time ever. Schwab said that was per the City of Monticello’s request.

     The Ballou property that resides within city limits will still utilize Amber Road as their address.

     “The Ballous don’t have a strong feeling either way,” said Supervisor Joe Oswald, who spoke with the family.

     Bill Tenley with Triangle Agri Services, located on S. Main, asked if new street signs could be erected to indicate the street name change.

     “It makes perfect sense,” commented Schwab.

     With the county’s approval, Schwab said it would take a couple of months (30-60 days) before everything was finalized and in place.

     “I am in the process of coordinating and actively notifying all of the affected individuals,” he said.

     Roughly 15 commercial and residential properties are affected by this change, though Schwab said the majority are businesses.

     “A lot of them get their mail at the Post Office,” indicated Schwab, noting their mailing address would not change in that instance.

     Tenley also questioned whether the addressing system on Business 151 North would also change. Schwab said that section is a whole different story compared to the south.

     “I’d like you to look into that further and eliminate all of Business 151, make the jump all at once,” encouraged Tenley.

     Schwab said that would take more time to tackle.

     “That would be phase two,” he said.

     Sheriff Greg Graver said the change is needed south of town, especially for law enforcement and emergency responders.

     “For emergency responders, this is such a mess,” said Graver. He said it’s easier to find the issue based on the business name versus the actual address.

     Before the supervisors made their final decision, GIS Coordinator Kristi Aitchison suggested the easiest way to address would be to stop at the highway interchange.

     “That would make it easier,” she said. “The average person may not realize the rural area is in city limits.”

     “If we label it S. Main,” said Graver, “everyone knows where things are at and it clears up a lot of confusion.”