Cluster Mailboxes
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[edit] Introduction
Cluster mailboxes are mailboxes that are placed at the curb of street. They contain mailboxes for a number of homes or businesses in a single block. They are often found in condominums and apartment complexes, where it is difficult for a letter carrior to deliver mail to many different addresses, partially due to security, or due to a low housing density.
Many residents have expressed concerns about the security of cluster mail boxes. They argue that it is a subruban solution to mail delivery that is inappropriate for urban living. It is difficult to collect mail from a curbside or cluster mailbox due to street parking. And as one New Orleans resident puts it, "with all those checks coming in (hopefully!) I would think is a security issue."
[edit] Historic Districts
Placement of cluster boxes in National Register districts would constitute an “undertaking†(since federal dollars would be spent on the placement of boxes) and would require Section 106 review. The Post Office proposed placing group boxes in Esplanade Ridge and residents of Faubourg St. John contested the proposal and the Postmaster rescinded the plans. I don’t expect this to be an issue in National Register districts.
In other neighborhoods, however, this could become an issue. Neighborhood associations may want to consider contacting their City Council Member and asking them to create legislation that would ban curbside mail boxes.
If there are any changes, people should get notices in their mailboxes. For example, if your area./zip code is slated to get new mailboxes, you would get a notice about that change in your mailbox, with the assurance that you would get enough time to make changes needed.
[edit] Cluster Boxes in Mid-City
"Well the post office snuck a cluster box by you guys here in MidCity.
They installed one several months ago at the corner of North Olympia and Conti Streets.
Here are a couple of pictures of it that I took to show neighbors when we were fighting to stop these from being placed all over our neighborhood.
From what neighbors told me, the contractor that installed this, did it basically during the middle of the night."
I'm not sure what is going on with the cluster box issue or why it has come up again. Last time it came up, about two months ago, just after the installation at N. Olympia and Conti, we signed petitions. I met with Ms. Trepagnier and Mr Blossom at the post office behind the dental school. They assured me that there would be no cluster boxes in a historic district and that houses with door to door delivery would countinue. Mr. Blossom said the boxes were designed to be temporary and could easily be removed. At the end of the discussion it seemed to be a non-issue and he even gave me back the petitions.
I'm not clear why the issue has come up again. Was there an incident or further installation of boxes?
[edit] Curbside Mailboxes
[edit] Cluster Mailboxes
[edit] Cluster Mailboxes in Other Cities
Cluster mailboxes have repeatedly been linked to mail theft and other crime problems.
About ten years ago, the residents of the older neighborhoods of Oklahoma City were partly successful in fighting the U.S. Postal Service over mail boxes. The proposal was to require everyone to have a curbside box instead of house-front delivery. The stated reason - repeatedly - was bad dogs, but it became quite clear that the only real reason was a presumed efficiency. Never mind cars parked in front of mail boxes. Never mind the extra time to mow around the box posts. Never mind the inefficiency of a barely mobile senior citizen who couldn't get his mail at the house front without applying for and getting a special dispensation. Never mind the cost (by the property owner) to replace a damaged box. Never mind the visual street clutter. Never mind that the very few blocks with truly bad dogs didn't get delivery anyway until the dog problem was resolved.
Early on, the designated historic districts - National Register and City-zoned - convinced the PO to keep house-front delivery. The USPS seemed to assert that since it is quasi-government instead of government, it didn't have to observe the rules about federal undertakings diminishing historic resources. So they ignored concerns in the potential National Register districts.
A lot of neighborhood organization time was spent fighting the proposal. The U.S. Congressional offices, State Historic Preservation Office, and City Council all got involved at different times. The curb boxes began to be installed, and still remain. The project was abruptly halted when the postmaster was reassigned.
In New Orleans after the hurricane, the U.S. Postal Service had the opportunity to be an example of excellent organizational recovery. Didn't happen. The proposal to take away house-front delivery is another whack to struggling neighborhoods.
How can we get the New Orleans Post Office to provide services we had before Katrina? My mail still comes about 3x/week, no magazines, bills often arrive only once every other month... and I live in a neighborhood that was not flooded nor is it difficult to navigate. As far as the curbside or cluster mailboxes - the insignificant time it would save on each carrier route is the excuse for the project. The boxes would be ugly, insecure, an impediment to pedestrian traffic, difficult for older and disabled residents. The Post Office needs to cut their overhead some other way. Also, all mailboxes have been removed and need to be replaced as soon as possible, with daily pick-ups reinstituted. These concerns need to be brought to someone outside the New Orleans area for immediate action.
