Township concerned about census problems

DINGMAN — The 2010 Census form’s “bad mailing” has township officials concerned. Township Sewage Enforcement Officer Chris Wood said Tuesday that the census forms were mailed to addresses of township lake community residents when they should have been mailed to community box numbers assigned to the residents. “Now the Census Bureau will have to send out enumerators to individual houses in Gold Key, Sunrise, Conashaugh, Hemlock Farms and Lake Adventure. Many local area residents, he added, commute to work and don’t get home before 7 p.m., setting the stage for a large undercount in Dingman. Township Supervisor Dennis Brink said an accurate count is near impossible the way the Census Bureau handled the distribution of the forms. Supervisors Chair Tom Mincer said almost 6,000 people were not counted. “An accurate count determines congressional representation as well as the money the township expects to receive.” he said. “Whatever went wrong this time will not go wrong the next time because I will not let that many forms go to the wrong addresses,” Brink said in a determined tone. He thought the Census Bureau should have addresses corrected at the local post offices. Census Forms will be made available for pick up at the office in Conashaugh Lake, the office in Gold Key Lake and at Ray and Charles Deli on state Route 739.