The current administration at the Guam Department of Public Works has a problem that is not of its making, but one that has been brewing for years.
If the agency did not know about it, it does now.
In an effort to enter the 21st century, DPW was hoping to retire what we were told were huge roll of “maps” of each Guam village with hand-drawn lines (representing roads) and squares (representing houses) and digitize its records of addresses.
That sounds simple and commendable.
However, somewhere along the line, multiple addresses in Guam were changed, mis-numbered or re-numbered.
What has compounded the problem is the lack of street signs in Guam after Typhoon Mawar took several of them down last year and also that there are multiple streets on the island with the same name.
In addition, we are lacking plenty of traffic lights in full working order.
We are used to making do in Guam, and giving people directions, which usually include our addresses, so they can either follow the directions or find us on Google Maps.
However, as the Journal’s Front Page story shows, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Service and the Social Security Administration are not so tolerant, or open to persuasion when their own records show that a business or a family doesn’t stay where they say they do.
We are fortunate that the federal government in general — and in this case the Federal Highway Administration in particular includes us in funding along with the states and other territories for new signage.
While we might quibble that road signs could be made on-island and benefit a small business or two, we really don’t have a case when we can’t get simple things like an address right.
DPW has told the Journal that it will update us on what it plans to do, and as soon as it does that, we will update you.
In the meantime, we sincerely thank a vigilant realtor and associate broker, Patricia Feore of RE/MAX Diamond Realty; for ensuring that her clients and along with them our readers are kept up to date. mbj
If the agency did not know about it, it does now.
In an effort to enter the 21st century, DPW was hoping to retire what we were told were huge roll of “maps” of each Guam village with hand-drawn lines (representing roads) and squares (representing houses) and digitize its records of addresses.
That sounds simple and commendable.
However, somewhere along the line, multiple addresses in Guam were changed, mis-numbered or re-numbered.
What has compounded the problem is the lack of street signs in Guam after Typhoon Mawar took several of them down last year and also that there are multiple streets on the island with the same name.
In addition, we are lacking plenty of traffic lights in full working order.
We are used to making do in Guam, and giving people directions, which usually include our addresses, so they can either follow the directions or find us on Google Maps.
However, as the Journal’s Front Page story shows, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Service and the Social Security Administration are not so tolerant, or open to persuasion when their own records show that a business or a family doesn’t stay where they say they do.
We are fortunate that the federal government in general — and in this case the Federal Highway Administration in particular includes us in funding along with the states and other territories for new signage.
While we might quibble that road signs could be made on-island and benefit a small business or two, we really don’t have a case when we can’t get simple things like an address right.
DPW has told the Journal that it will update us on what it plans to do, and as soon as it does that, we will update you.
In the meantime, we sincerely thank a vigilant realtor and associate broker, Patricia Feore of RE/MAX Diamond Realty; for ensuring that her clients and along with them our readers are kept up to date. mbj