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Befuddled by center�s addresses Can you tell me how the city of Medford could have possibly approved a commercial development such as the Medford Center where there are no street names or addresses for any of the firms or stores in that area? Those businesses may have a number such as 562 Medford Center, but such number is of no help to me in locating the establishment. I can�t tell you how much time I have wasted riding around in an attempt to find the store or business I was looking for. In the future I will take my business to firms that have a street address. � Irene G., Medford You may have to, Irene. City officials agree that the center�s numbering system isn�t the best, but they don�t plan to change it. The system � which identifies each business space by just a number and "Medford Center," � has been in place for some time, and changing now would be no easy matter, said Frank Macuk of the city building department, who oversees address assignment. For one thing, businesses that would have to get new stationery are almost sure to oppose it, since those costs can be quite high. Macuk says the numbered addresses the center uses are programmed into emergency service computers so police and firefighters can find them. He noted the city does avoid those kinds of addressing systems but that the Medford Center�s began years ago. Other shopping centers, such as the Rogue Valley Mall, have similar systems as do many office buildings with assigned suite numbers. Paul Farmer, the center�s manager, says the numbering system can be confusing, though he likes having the center itself as an address. He says people ask him about addresses about once a month and he tries to direct people the right way. He also says the center is planning to put a kiosk with a map near the entrance to the new portion of the center that faces Jackson Street. ("Since You Asked'' is a daily feature in the Mail Tribune that answers questions from readers on virtually any topic of general interest. To submit a question, e-mail us at [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. If you have specific questions about our Web site or other questions about the Mail Tribune, please send them to [email protected] ) Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA