The Alexander City Outlook

Curbside boxes are no good

Dear Editor,

It has come to the attention of several people of the Northside area that residents have been told to put up curbside mailboxes to receive their mail.

There seems to have been two letters that were sent out by the post office. One indicated an option (not plainly noted) to put up a curbside box, changing the way residents normally received their mail. The other gave the residents 10 days to install curbside boxes, with the condition of having no mail delivered to the address until a curbside box was installed.

Some residents have mentioned not receiving mail that was past due, and some have had to go to the post office to pick up their mail. (Illegally holding mail that should be delivered the day it is received at the post office.)

Most people considered it mandatory because of being reportedly told by carriers that it was necessary. Also the frequent and continuous questioning of the residents as to when they would install a curbside box. A great percentage of the people put the boxes up, or had someone put them up, at their own expense. Even the elderly in this area were not exempt.

Being deceived with reasons such as, “you will get your mail earlier,” “everyone has to have a curbside box by the end of the year,” “because the post office is losing money,” “it helps the carrier,” Not one of these reasons actually helps the residents of the area. Economically, the boxes do not help anyone in this area, nor does it help the mail get delivered faster. What it does do is jeopardize every curbside box because of the known drug problems in this area. And it also causes our elderly to depend on others to bring mail that normally was accessible near their doors for 20, 30, 40 years or more.

The tactics used to promote the proposal for curbside boxes are more like demands under threats of no mail delivery, an unwarranted pressure to force installation. According to the postal operation manual (which is available over the internet). It is not mandatory to convert to curbside mailboxes, and customer signatures must be obtained prior to any change. People who do not agree with installing curbside boxes must be allowed to keep their mail boxes where they are.

Mismanagement is the reason for the postal service problems. And deceitfully forcing the customers to come out of pocket to be inconvenienced, with no better service, is ridiculous.

Mrs. Dean,

representative for concerned residents of the Northside area