LINDON — The pizza man and the postman have had tough going in Lindon.
In four different areas of the city the addresses simply don't make sense even though Lindon claims to subscribe to a grid system similar to Salt Lake City — a road pattern devised in the era of Brigham Young, second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Panorama Point subdivision northeast of the city center is one example. House numbers there are have higher they should be in an area south of a road that intersects the neighborhood.
Over by Geneva Road, 600 North ends abruptly then starts again about two blocks farther south.
In Kirkland Estates, the numbers aren't consecutive, and in the Lakeview Industrial Park, there are additional inconsistencies.
City Planning Director Kevin Smith has heard the complaints from residents and letter carriers and is working to set it all straight — so to speak.
Unfortunately, the solution is likely to complicate things for a few more months, and some residents will feel the impact in their wallets as well.
"Our public safety people know about these situations," Smith said. With the exception of a few instances where volunteers needed a little help, emergency response people have responded well to calls in the misnumbered areas.
It is a concern, he concedes. People shouldn't have to wander the city looking for addresses.
"What about the pizza guy?" he jokes.
Changes have been proposed to the City Council.
Starting with Panorama Point addresses, the numbers and, in some instances, street designations, will be adjusted this week.
Smith said 300 North will become 300 North/380 North because it curves toward the subdivision. He said this should eliminate past confusion where motorists, believing they are on 300 North, suddenly find themselves passing numbers in the 400 block.
The other three areas will undergo a similar address adjustment in the next few weeks.
Some residences will get new house numbers. Others will need to get used to a new street number. A few will need to change both.
"The lay of the land doesn't fit easily into the Lyman Grid system we use here in Lindon," Smith said. "That's part of the problem, especially in the foothills."
Another part of the problem is city error. A former city planner is responsible for assigning some of the wrong numbers, and that has some affected residents saying the city should foot the bill for changing house numbers as well as stationery and other supplies containing the no longer valid numbers.
"We did a survey of other cities," Smith said, "No city compensates for this kind of thing."
Residents David Bagley and Jeff Stratford said home businesses will be forced to spend up to $500 to update business cards, checks and company stationery.
Some homes have lettering carved into the masonry that will be expensive to renumber, they said.
Mayor Larry Ellertson said Lindon is making the adjustments to benefit the city. He said it is not the city's responsibility to bear the costs beyond changing street signs. Lindon also will make sure utility companies and the county assessor are aware of the changes.
Residents should be glad to see the problems fixed. Emergency vehicles should respond more quickly and late-night door-knocking by strangers seeking directions should all but disappear.
"It's not an easy fix and it won't be perfect," said Jan Porter, a Lindon resident. "It'll be an inconvenience, but it's inconvenient now."