The post located at Division and 5th St. in Atchison. Resident Abby Bartlett told MSC News she believes because enough people—across several generations—want the controversial street name changed, they'll be able to succeed.
(KAIR)--An online push is launched to change the name of an Atchison Street.
The issue arises from a post made in the Facebook group “Project Atchison Discussion Board.”
Resident Abby Bartlett, in the post made Sunday evening, questions why the city's north side Division Street, long perceived by some residents as a symbol of racial divide, has never been changed.
The post, which cites what Bartlett calls the roads “ugly past,” has sparked discussion, with statements of approval balanced by questions pertaining to such long term affects as postal, and personal identification, changes that would be necessitated by a renaming.
The issue is not new, with the two most recent calls for a name change happening in 1997 and 2008.
City Manager Trey Cocking, in a reply to the post, supplied a portion of a city memo pertaining to the 2008 effort. It cites the '97 effort, when a survey of Division Street residents voiced opposition to the name change, with the most frequent complaint listed in the memo as being the impact the change would have on verification items. Additionally, noted is the impact such a change would mean for local 911 service.
Nonetheless, Cocking says the possibility of changing the name is being reviewed, with an estimate of the related costs being calculated.
He explains that if such a change should be decided, the City Commission would adopt an ordinance to change the name, and then give notice to Atchison County and the Post Office.
Cocking tells MSC News a five-year period would likely be allowed for residents to make changes to their postal address, and related documents.
Going forward, Bartlett told MSC News she would like to see this issue brought to Project Atchison and hopefully be provided guidance with how to make this change happen.
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foreverall (09/27/2016 7:25 PM)
Considering that the residents on this street were not all in favor of changing the name it should fall onto the City of Atchison to pay for the costs associated with changing documentation instead of copping out giving them the five years allotted for an ID to expire. Leave it how it is, its history not a racial war. Atchison is a very blended town and people of all races are on the north side, changing it would just be chaos and confusion and 90 of the population would still refer to it as its original name.
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