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Show JL J fyGary R. Blodgett It seemed like such a simple request, but the Bountiful City Council turned a deaf ear. TV weatherman and Bountiful resident Mark Eubank approached the Bountiful City Council with a request to have the name "Thunder Mountain Road" added to the street sign with the number of 1375 East. Almost immediately Councilman Keith Barton could see no wrong in Mr. Eubank's request and made a motion that the council approve the naming of 1375 East. Mayor Dean S. Stahle called for a second to the motion. There was silence. Each council member bowed his or her head, but none would mutter a second to the motion. In the prior discussion, there was mention made that to approve such a request would set a precedence possibly a mad run on City Hall from scores of residents wanting their street name (or number) changed. Usually I can side with the council when it becomes obvious that to change an ordinance will "open a can of worms" for the future. But with this matter I disagree with the council. I do agree that most residents, if given the choice and without any effort or cost on their part would favor living on a street with a name rather than a number. But after years of experiencing those few residents who do come to the council for a change, nearly all are doing so because of some adverse effect upon them. It's not likely that street after street or residents would approach the council and demand that "their" street be changed. Most people are just not that concerned, con-cerned, nor do they want to take the time and effort to do it. Besides I feel that Mr. Eubank and his neighbor, Barry Nielsen, have a justifiable reason for requesting that the name be added to their street number. Council members expressed concern that a street name would cause more confusion, yet numerous streets in Bountiful have names rather than or in addition to the street number. "We're not asking that the number be dropped from the street sign," Mr. Eubank pleaded. "We simDlv ask that the name be included with the number. He noted that several city council members and staffers have addresses with street names, and some of them without street numbers. "Of course people like names better than numbers. Numbers are so informal," said Mr. Eubank. "Bountiful is such a nice-sounding nice-sounding name, but how would you like to be referred to as City No. 7?" But concern about confusion was only half the reason that the council denied Mr. Eubank's request. Most obvious was the issue of setting a precedence. So why are some streets named and others have numerical listings? It's rather simple. Subdividers are given the option of naming or numerically listing streets within their subdivision. If your home is not within a subdivision, it will have a numerical listing. That's why some areas of the city will have street after street listed by name. Other area streets will have nothing but numbers. num-bers. Now comes the debate between Mr. Eubank and Mr. Nielsen vs. Bountiful City Council. City Engineer Jack Balling said that these two home owners were not in a subdivision, merely on a street extension. , But Mr. Eubank and his neighbor strongly disagree. "We have been referred to in letters from the city (Planning Department) as subdividers and we paid for all the utilities and improvements to our lots something only subdividers are required to do," said Mr. Nielsen. "But you did not have your two lots recorded as a subdivision plat with Davis County. Therefore, you never were listed as a subdivision. Your property is described by metes and bounds," he told the petitioners. The existing ordinance governing street signing was adopted in 1965. 1 was covering the city council at that time and remember remem-ber well that the debate over the ordinance was not whether to allow street names but only specifying that the street number also be posted on the street sign. It may sound presumptuous that Mr. Eubank told the council that he had the sign with Thunder Mountain Road included in his car, ready for the council to install. But this is no more presumptuous than the council asking the attorney to draw up a revised ordinance in anticipation that Mr. Eubank's request would be approved. It wasn't, and I think that's sad. It was such a simple request. |