Menands residents push back on village’s plan to change house numbers
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MENANDS (NEWS10) -- Residents on Glenwood Road are pushing back against a village mandate that would require them to change the house numbers in their addresses, a move they say will create unnecessary headaches.
On September 16, the village sent a letter to homeowners informing them that their addresses were “wrong.” According to the letter, the even and odd numbers were on the incorrect side of the street and did not match the official parcel deeds.
Then, on October 2, a follow-up letter was sent out. It informed residents that the town would be supplying new physical house numbers to be distributed at an informational meeting scheduled for Monday evening at 6 p.m.
Nancy Moreland, who has lived in the same house on Glenwood Road for 35 years, expressed concern over the mandate.
“Our biggest problem was that we weren’t consulted on this,” she said. “It seems like a very silly and senseless kind of thing that we’d have to do. Also, Social Security, pensions—changing those isn’t something you can just call up and fix in a day.”
Moreland isn’t the only one raising objections. Maria Upton, another long-time resident, echoed similar concerns, emphasizing the potential burden the address change could bring.
“I’ve had cancer, so I have doctors. I have bankers. I have policemen in our family. Just the things like credit cards or Christmas cards that I’ve sent to people for over 20 years—people know we live here,” Upton said. “I really don’t want to change this address. If I have to, I will, but I’m not going to be happy.”
Village Mayor Brian Marsh explained the reasoning behind the change, citing several issues that have arisen due to the discrepancies between the physical addresses and the county’s tax records. According to Marsh, residents have experienced everything from power being mistakenly turned off at the wrong houses to mortgage companies paying incorrect tax bills. In one case, a homeowner’s insurance policy was canceled after their house was mistakenly marked vacant.
“We’ve had people receive tax foreclosure auction notices that were meant for other properties,” Marsh said. “Something needs to change. Either the records at the tax office need to be updated, or the homeowners’ numbers need to change. We’re trying to be as least disruptive as possible.”
Despite the village’s efforts, the final solution has not yet been determined. Marsh stated that discussions are ongoing with various stakeholders, and the goal is to find a solution that minimizes the impact on residents.
The informational meeting will be held Monday night at 6 p.m. at 280 Broadway.