VANCOUVER, Wash. – The U.S. Postal Service would like to see a lot more mailboxes at the curb, in Vancouver's historic Hough neighborhood. But neighbors have fought it for years and the fight isn’t over.
Most homes there have mail slots or boxes built into the houses that carriers use to deliver the mail. USPS wants them to put up new mailboxes along the street.
“I think the neighborhood has taken the position that as a historic neighborhood they should be able to maintain the character of the neighborhood,” said longtime resident David DiCesare.
The postal service said the curbside mailbox system is being implemented across the country, as a cost-saving measure.
The changeover effort has been under way in the Hough neighborhood for about a decade, but it is slow; only new residents moving in are told to get a mailbox or risk losing mail service.
It appears the postal service will keep trying to implement curbside delivery there, despite the protests of many neighbors. A lack of driveways in the neighborhood brings another challenge because there are many vehicles blocking the curbs where mailboxes would typically go.
Residents also said they had security concerns about mailboxes at the curb.
“People feel that their mail is less likely to be violated if it’s up close to the home and you’ve really got to step on a porch or go through a gate to get to the mail, as opposed to having it on a curb and someone drives by and flips it open and there you go,” Norwood Brown said.
The USPS estimates curbside delivery in this case saves about $55 a year, per household.
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