Ossipee schedules public hearing after NH 9-1-1 flags confusing addresses on Doris Corner Road

The Ossipee selectboard voted to schedule a public hearing after a presentation by Zach Branska of the New Hampshire Division of Emergency Services and Communications, who said inconsistent numbering on Doris Corner Road risks slower emergency responses.

Branska told the board that one stretch of the road contains numbers that run out of order and includes a duplicate "101," making it likely that mutual-aid responders could lose 15 to 30 seconds while searching for addresses. "The concern is they say, hey, 110 or 105 must be back that way," he said, warning that even small delays can be consequential for ambulances and fire crews.

Branska explained the statutory process for readdressing (as cited in the meeting: "RSA 2 31 1 33 and 2 31 1 33 a") and said towns may either obtain voluntary consent from all affected property owners or hold a public hearing and proceed regardless of unanimity. He recommended the board consider a broader readdressing of the full road for long-term clarity but said a targeted change to the immediately affected houses is also possible. "I would much rather invest the work now than have someone, an emergency responder who only has so long to get to someone suffer from the addresses not being in order," he told the board.

Selectboard members debated the trade-offs: changing just four or five houses would reduce disruption but could leave future confusion if development occurs, while readdressing the roughly 40-house stretch could prevent repeated rework. The chair made the motion to schedule a public hearing with the notice to explain the two options (the limited section and the full-road plan); the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The board agreed to post clear notice to all properties that could be affected and said the hearing would include presentation-quality maps and both plans for public review.

NH 9-1-1 offered to attend the hearing to explain its distance-based numbering standard and walk through maps so residents can understand how numbers are assigned. The board instructed town staff to prepare the public notice and mail it to the affected addresses; a hearing date was not set in the meeting minutes and will be published once determined.

Next steps: the town will prepare the public notice showing both the limited and full-road readdressing plans, mail notices to affected property owners, and hold the hearing where the board will hear objections and then decide whether to proceed with voluntary consent or to adopt an administrative readdressing under the statutory process.