Staff Writer

A little confusion over the new E-911 system has caused Jan Dismukes’ phone to ring off the hook.

Dismukes, the E-911 director, said residents have been calling her about not receiving questionnaires. Upon further questioning of the callers, she’s discovered they live in the city limits of Brundidge and Troy.

"Residents in the city limits of Brundidge and Troy will not be receiving packets," Dismukes said.

She also acknowledged some residents outside the city limits have not received information packets, although questionnaires asking for necessary information have been delivered.

Dismukes said MSAG Data Consultants, Inc. of Orange, Va. began field verification on Wednesday, June 27 by distributing packets that ask for much-needed information and completed that task in August.

However, apparently, some residents were skipped. The company is supposed to distribute the packets to those residents they missed the first time.

In the meantime, the information that has been returned is being compiled in Virginia.

However, there are those that have not returned their forms.

"Those who haven’t returned their forms are holding up the process," Dismukes said. "I want to reiterate if they haven’t been sent in, they need to be sent in, now."

Dismukes had originally asked forms be returned within 10 days. Some people have done that, but others have not, Dismukes said, adding she is not exactly sure of the numbers of those that haven’t.

The packets contained a form that asked for name, current mailing address and phone number and a postage-paid envelope.

"It’s a very short form that takes less than two minutes to complete," Dismukes said.

Information being compiled by MSAG will eventually be sent to the post office so mail will be delivered to the correct address once the process is complete, Dismukes said.

The entire process has to be up and running by November 2002.

Dismukes also pointed out the new E-911 system was something voted on by the people of Pike County during a referendum.

"It’s been a challenge," Dismukes said of the process of collecting data and expects the mapping to be more of the same.

Dismukes said the mapping plan involves dividing the county into seven districts, using highways as the dividing lines. Each of those sections will be numbered and the three-digit county road numbers will correspond. For example,

roadways in the third district would be renumbered beginning with 300.

Dismukes said the original plan was not to renumber roads in Goshen and Banks, but upon further evaluation, the E-911 board found it would be better to go ahead and make those changes.

The E-911 board is planning to purchase a machine that will print the signs for those roadways being renumbered.