I didn’t attend the June 18 Whately Town Meeting for several reasons, including the high temperatures outside and having compromised health. However, I read the news coverage and listened to many townspeople [“Solo ZIP code, Gaza peace petitions pass,” June 21].

Some of us would have attended had those in charge considered senior citizens and the effects that hot weather can have on them. What should have been considered was moving the outdoor meeting to the $1 million renovated Town Hall that sits 200 people with A/C. Only 82 people attended the meeting. Our town has a “robo” call system and a reliable Police Department capable of redirecting attendees to the Town Hall.

I understand the elementary school auditorium would have been too hot. What amazed a lot of us was that a member of our health board was in attendance.

My second concern is the regurgitation of the ZIP code issue, which was promoted by a retired town employee who for 25 years couldn’t address the excise tax issue and take the time to address/educate those people who failed to put the correct information on their vehicle registration. Now, because that angle didn’t work, it’s being dragged up again.

Townspeople are aware that one business was upset because they put the wrong ZIP code on their vehicles. The question is: Do you know where you live? Don’t blame the entire town for your mistake.

We have had the fire, police, and emergency departments at our home on many occasions and they effectively found us by our house number and street address. As one retired EMT said,”What, are they crazy? We don’t use ZIP codes to locate emergencies.”

In the context of the recent fire on Route 5 and 10, 90% of our residents know Whately had one motel and Deerfield has the Red Roof Inn. Assuming that the Deerfield Fire Department responded in mutual aid to Whately, they would have passed the Red Roof Inn on the way down Routes 5 and 10.

I feel sorry for the motel’s inhabitants and if it was a 911 call, it was recorded. The information given to the dispatcher might not have been as clear and the dispatcher would have asked for clarification of the location if there was a language barrier involved. I want to believe that mutual aid fire departments would ask for or be given house/building numbers and street addresses, not ZIP codes.

It is well known that “making Whately whole again” was a personal venture by one person and statement of one person has seeded this idea to the public. As reported during this issue previously, changing to one ZIP code would be an overwhelming and costly task for any family and our precious businesses. It was being most unhelpful to our senior citizens who depend upon receiving their Social Security income, medicine delivery and online shopping delivery and may not have a nearby relative willing to initiate multiple address changes on their paperwork.

One would venture that the town office people wouldn’t have time to help all of the 2,000-plus people change their ZIP codes.

Another well-known fact is that our town is already split not only by I-91, but in two sections: “West Whately” and “East Whately. There is a standing assumption by the “West Whately” group that the “East Whately” group are not as intelligent as they are and therefore, shouldn’t have as much say in our government. This invisible split has been in existence longer than the ZIP code issue. Neither this issue or the ZIP code one is “making the town whole again.”

Personally I have had the same ZIP code for almost 40 years, my parents had the same before me, and when you examine the town’s assessor’s map, my land has been in the same location when in 1961 the ZIP codes were assigned 63 years ago.

The question was raised if I ever got billed for excise tax or real estate taxes from South Deerfield and the answer is no. Deerfield knows their territory.

Recently, Whately celebrated its 250th and more recently had a front-page listing of its town Memorial Day parade and ceremony where residents from all ZIP codes co-existed.

I would heartily support a project involving the police, fire and emergency departments, TRIAD, the South County Senior Citizen Center, PTA and all community service organization such as the Grange wherein they band together to design a “Emergency Call Plaque,” to be given to every household, business, etc. in Whately. It could be written in English as well as Spanish.

In bold letters, the building number and street address/town would be listed so the caller could read it to the dispatcher. When the Fire Department comes to inspect the fire alarm system, a check to see if the plaque is near a landline or posted in a place easily accessible could be included in their inspection.

We should work together, acknowledge that other people have ideas, do not downgrade those who don’t live in Whately center, and stop not putting us together.

Ruth Leahey lives in Whately.