George Henry White education center warns 911 calls sometimes route to neighboring county; seeks road-name change

Representatives of the George Henry White Memorial Education Center told the Bladen County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 6 that 911 calls originating at their facility have sometimes been routed to Columbus County, creating delays and potential public-safety risks.

Ocie Jones, operational superintendent for the center, described a case in which a person calling 911 from the center was connected to the Columbus County 911 system; after confusion and a transfer, emergency responders arrived in seven minutes. Jones said the center's physical proximity to a county line allows cell calls from some parts of the property to reach another county's dispatch, and that lack of consistent addressing in the county's system contributes to the confusion.

Jones said he has prepared a petition to change the road name from its current Farmington Road address to "George White Way" (petition language provided to the county), and that local emergency-services staff and the center's emergency-services director support the change. Jones said the county's addressing office and an ordinance require a majority of residential landowners on the affected road to approve a name change.

Emergency-services Director (Mr. Howell, name as given in public comment) was not present but had previously indicated the name change would help. Commissioners discussed the procedural steps Jones outlined: gathering signatures, submitting to the county addressing office, and returning to the board for final approval. County staff asked Jones to work the process and return with the required paperwork; commissioners expressed support but noted the change requires resident approval and follow the county ordinance process.

No formal vote or ordinance amendment was taken at the meeting; the board instructed staff to assist with the petition process and to accept a future motion once statutory steps and address-office approvals are complete.