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Dear Editor,
We received a letter in the mail from our Wautoma (Wisconsin) Postmaster, Meredith Congdon regarding a local Highway 21 project.
Instead of having one (1) federal postal employee go out once a day to deliver mail to apparently 45 impacted families, for safety reasons, our Postmaster has chosen to put 45 people in harm’s way by making them go out into the construction zone yet an additional time to collect their mail at a location determined by our Postmaster away from their own mailbox. According to the letter,
4/10/2023
Dear Postal Customer,
You are receiving this letter because you are affected by the Highway 21 project.
Over the last 2 weeks I (Meredith Congdon) have been working with the project manager to decide how to handle mail delivery during constriction. 1 We discussed all option, and I came to the final decision that we will be putting up temporary mailboxes for our customers. To help with this decision, the project manager has agreed to buy and construct the temporary mailboxes.
The new mailbox location for your address will be located on Bird Ave. 2 We will start delivery at this location on 4/14/23. Once the boxes are placed, we will go out and assign a box to each customer by putting duct tape on the inside with name and address. We will also number the outside of the boxes 1,2,3, etc… to make it easier for customers to locate.
The communication of this decision is concerning at least. As I am certain that when other road projects have been handled without relocating mailboxes. As such, these are the concerns:
1. In two weeks’ time, already into the Highway 21 project for 14 days in which mail has been delivered at home addresses on regular route and project equipment has been digging ditches, there has been no communication as to the options that could be considered to any home owner, and there have been no incidents in which the mail was not delivered. So why the change? And why did we not have input?
2. There is no Bird Ave, there is a West Bird Ave…seems odd a Post Master would not identify location accurately. And apparently, the # which we will now be identified on our temporary mailbox is 1,2,3, etc.
a. Why would our address need to change?
b. And why is the name and address being put in the inside of the mailbox?
c. So we will have to open each one to find out which one is ours? That means 49 other people will be peering into my mailbox to determine if it is there’s or not.
i. Is it not a crime to open someone else’s mailbox and look at their mail?
d. Does not mention what time the mail will be delivered either.
3. Our 50 families will not all be affected the entire 6 months, as currently, they have dug the ditches March 27 – April 4 and have not had any additional construction equipment movement in front of my home since. So why are all the families being subjected to her decision for the entirety of this project? Again, roads have been closed before for construction purposes all over the country and have still received mail.
4. How long will USPS hold packages?
a. Are they going to extend their hours of service? I myself work for a farm and will not be able to return to Wautoma to pick up packages left at the post office. It could be weeks before I have a Saturday available.
b. What if what is being sent is perishable? Again, how long is USPS going to hold those packages?
As I did contact the Post Master as requested and spoke with Meredith Congdon, I was informed a couple of things that were not offered in her less than timely letter.
This really needs to be readdressed and this Highway 21 temporary postal delivery decision needs to be halted immediately, or get a postal person who can deliver the mail thru, rain and sleet and snow…oh, but not through construction zones.
Sincerely,
Amy Christians
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