CLINTON - DeWitt County's 911 mapping and address system should be done by mid-December.

911 Coordinator Tony Harris said all residences will have specific road addresses. Those with rural route addresses or grid numbers have been assigned new addresses.

"This is a project that started about four years ago and we're finally getting to the final stages," Harris said. "All of the paperwork has been delivered to the proper authorities and, now, we are in the final stages of the final notification for the residents. Once that is finished, we will be done."

The changes affected only those with rural route addresses or grid numbers. Residents have a year to make the change, which will make it easier for emergency personnel and the postal system to find correct residences.

A handful of residents in the Clinton, Wapella, DeLand and Weldon areas will receive notification in the coming days that the new address system has been completed. That will finalize the project.

DeWitt County Board Chairman Steve Lobb said the hard work has paid off.

"This was a huge project that is very important to the citizens of DeWitt County," Lobb said. "This will help everyone down the road, particularly the emergency personnel, who are responding to emergency situations. Tony and his group have done a heck of a job."

At one point, each rural residence had a 911 address that was different from their mailing address.

"We found that people would remember their mailing address, but not the 911 address," Harris said. "That made it difficult to find the right destination. So, we took the next step and assigned just one address that works for both."

On emergency calls, both addresses are provided for emergency personnel.

"Having too much information is much better than not enough when minutes are so vital," Harris said. "So, for right now, on emergency calls, our dispatchers are providing both addresses, so there is no confusion."

Harris coordinated the effort, but said the DeWitt County Board also deserves credit.

"There were a lot of details that had to be worked out, but we went over everything with the County Board and they approved everything with each step," he said. "But, they also helped out with developing the plan and gave us a number of good ideas as we went forward on this."