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No more free post office boxes
Council, affected residents speak out against enforcing old ruleBy LINDSAY DAVIS — ldavis@lockhaven.com
AVIS — This is one letter that won’t be sealed with a kiss.
Borough Council decided last night to write a letter to several U.S. Postal Service and federal, state and county government representatives, decrying an abrupt change in policy enforcement at the Avis post office.
In a letter to postal customers, Avis Postmaster Richard Dvorscak explained his office recently discovered it was illegally offering free post office boxes to some residents who should be receiving mail service from either the Lock Haven or Jersey Shore post offices.
“Basically, the post office (employees) down here didn’t do their jobs. They didn’t charge people like they were supposed to,” said Scott Stover, council president.
Councilman Gene Gordon said a rule restricting the free post office box service to customers residing within a quarter-mile radius of the post office was in effect prior to 1998, when the Avis office “authorized free post office boxes for all of Avis.”
USPS is asking the affected customers to set up service with either the Lock Haven or Jersey Shore post offices, depending on where the customer lives, or pay for a mailbox at the Avis office. Gene Gordon said the change in service would affect more than 400 residents.
“Even the borough building itself has to pay now, and we’re the borough,” Stover said.
The line dividing the remainder of the borough, outside the quarter-mile radius, follows West Park Street from above East Martin Street to Grove Street, then cuts directly south. All residents to the west of that line, including the borough government, would receive service from the Lock Haven post office, and all residents to the east, excluding those within the post office radius, would receive service from the Jersey Shore office.
Those post offices may choose not to provide rural delivery service to Avis residents, instead forcing them to reserve a free mailbox at their newly assigned post office.
Affected residents can keep their Avis post office box — if they pay semi-annual fees of $18, $26, $48, $88 or $148, depending on the size of the box rented.
The change would take effect as each customer’s box is up for renewal, beginning later this month.
Richard Lewis, a borough resident who lives a half block outside the post office radius, was enraged at the idea of Avis residents possibly having to drive to Lock Haven or Jersey Shore to pick up their mail when, for the last 10 years, they’ve been able to do so at the much-closer Avis office.
“I’m on Social Security and disability. I can’t afford to drive to Jersey Shore to pick up my mail and I can’t afford to go out and change my driver’s license, car insurance, homeowner’s insurance ... my mortgage,” Lewis said.
In addition to the cost to postal customers, who will either have to drive to another post office to pick up their mail or purchase and install a rural delivery mailbox, council and residents found several other issues with enforcing the quarter-mile radius rule.
“All the streets in Avis match all the streets in Lock Haven. Who’s going to change all those names?” Stover asked. “They can’t answer that question. They just said they were losing out on money. That’s not our fault.”
“They’re going to pay for it anyhow, because of what they’re going to have to pay in gas to have someone drive up here from Lock Haven or Jersey Shore. Or they could deliver it right from here and save all that gas,” Lewis said.
“I talked to the McElhattan post office and they’re not going to go by this quarter-mile radius. They’re still giving out free mailboxes. So why does Avis have to comply with this if they don’t?” said Gene Gordon.
Garlyn Yenner, council member, reminded those present the postal service has many requirements for the height, size and placement of rural delivery mailboxes — yet another hurdle for affected residents. A resident at Monday’s meeting mentioned that type of boxes have already started appearing along Prospect Avenue and sporadically throughout the borough.
Joking about the snow plowing difficulties presented by streetside mailboxes, borough Road Foreman Larry Gardner said, “You can’t have mailboxes on my streets.”
“Council can make an ordinance to that affect and put an end to all of this,” Gene Gordon suggested.
Tom Gordon cautioned against taking such action, arguing it could create even more problems for residents and council.
“Let’s just take this one thing at a time,” he said.
Council agreed to send letters first and decide what further action to take, if any, based on the response to the letters.
Stover said council would also provide residents with a form letter they could send to post office and government officials, and Tom Gordon encouraged them to send the letters to strengthen the message that the borough doesn’t agree with the rule.
Lewis agreed. “If you have a senator or congressman who receives 400-some letters in the mail, then they’re going to do something about this. Then they’re going to sit up and say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, I don’t want to lose all these votes.’”
“What’s really disheartening about this is that the postal service would push a project of this magnitude through without even so much as a note to the local governing body,” said Jeff Raab, council vice president. “Had you not spotted this on the bulletin board at the post office, Gene, just like all those residents who would probably walk right past that and never notice it till it was too late, we’d have no clue.”
Borough Council decided last night to write a letter to several U.S. Postal Service and federal, state and county government representatives, decrying an abrupt change in policy enforcement at the Avis post office.
In a letter to postal customers, Avis Postmaster Richard Dvorscak explained his office recently discovered it was illegally offering free post office boxes to some residents who should be receiving mail service from either the Lock Haven or Jersey Shore post offices.
“Basically, the post office (employees) down here didn’t do their jobs. They didn’t charge people like they were supposed to,” said Scott Stover, council president.
Councilman Gene Gordon said a rule restricting the free post office box service to customers residing within a quarter-mile radius of the post office was in effect prior to 1998, when the Avis office “authorized free post office boxes for all of Avis.”
USPS is asking the affected customers to set up service with either the Lock Haven or Jersey Shore post offices, depending on where the customer lives, or pay for a mailbox at the Avis office. Gene Gordon said the change in service would affect more than 400 residents.
“Even the borough building itself has to pay now, and we’re the borough,” Stover said.
The line dividing the remainder of the borough, outside the quarter-mile radius, follows West Park Street from above East Martin Street to Grove Street, then cuts directly south. All residents to the west of that line, including the borough government, would receive service from the Lock Haven post office, and all residents to the east, excluding those within the post office radius, would receive service from the Jersey Shore office.
Those post offices may choose not to provide rural delivery service to Avis residents, instead forcing them to reserve a free mailbox at their newly assigned post office.
Affected residents can keep their Avis post office box — if they pay semi-annual fees of $18, $26, $48, $88 or $148, depending on the size of the box rented.
The change would take effect as each customer’s box is up for renewal, beginning later this month.
Richard Lewis, a borough resident who lives a half block outside the post office radius, was enraged at the idea of Avis residents possibly having to drive to Lock Haven or Jersey Shore to pick up their mail when, for the last 10 years, they’ve been able to do so at the much-closer Avis office.
“I’m on Social Security and disability. I can’t afford to drive to Jersey Shore to pick up my mail and I can’t afford to go out and change my driver’s license, car insurance, homeowner’s insurance ... my mortgage,” Lewis said.
In addition to the cost to postal customers, who will either have to drive to another post office to pick up their mail or purchase and install a rural delivery mailbox, council and residents found several other issues with enforcing the quarter-mile radius rule.
“All the streets in Avis match all the streets in Lock Haven. Who’s going to change all those names?” Stover asked. “They can’t answer that question. They just said they were losing out on money. That’s not our fault.”
“They’re going to pay for it anyhow, because of what they’re going to have to pay in gas to have someone drive up here from Lock Haven or Jersey Shore. Or they could deliver it right from here and save all that gas,” Lewis said.
“I talked to the McElhattan post office and they’re not going to go by this quarter-mile radius. They’re still giving out free mailboxes. So why does Avis have to comply with this if they don’t?” said Gene Gordon.
Garlyn Yenner, council member, reminded those present the postal service has many requirements for the height, size and placement of rural delivery mailboxes — yet another hurdle for affected residents. A resident at Monday’s meeting mentioned that type of boxes have already started appearing along Prospect Avenue and sporadically throughout the borough.
Joking about the snow plowing difficulties presented by streetside mailboxes, borough Road Foreman Larry Gardner said, “You can’t have mailboxes on my streets.”
“Council can make an ordinance to that affect and put an end to all of this,” Gene Gordon suggested.
Tom Gordon cautioned against taking such action, arguing it could create even more problems for residents and council.
“Let’s just take this one thing at a time,” he said.
Council agreed to send letters first and decide what further action to take, if any, based on the response to the letters.
Stover said council would also provide residents with a form letter they could send to post office and government officials, and Tom Gordon encouraged them to send the letters to strengthen the message that the borough doesn’t agree with the rule.
Lewis agreed. “If you have a senator or congressman who receives 400-some letters in the mail, then they’re going to do something about this. Then they’re going to sit up and say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, I don’t want to lose all these votes.’”
“What’s really disheartening about this is that the postal service would push a project of this magnitude through without even so much as a note to the local governing body,” said Jeff Raab, council vice president. “Had you not spotted this on the bulletin board at the post office, Gene, just like all those residents who would probably walk right past that and never notice it till it was too late, we’d have no clue.”
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