Wait a minute, Mr. Postman

EAGLE - Home mail delivery conjures up images of a mailman in knee-high socks and blue shorts, bag slung over one shoulder, knocking at doors.

Those days are long gone.

Most valley residents have never had a man in postal blue come knocking at their door. The only contact with a real live postal employee is at the post office, picking up packages or purchasing stamps.

"We're in an era now where driver-to-doorway delivery ... no longer exists," says Eagle Postmaster Sam McGibbon. "We're in an era now of cluster boxes."

The extinction of the door-side mailbox is nationwide.

"If the postal service is going to survive, cluster boxes are a more feasible mode of delivery," McGibbon said. "It costs a lot to go door-to-door or to the driveway."

Valley residents have a choice: tough it out at crowded post office parking lots; or delve into the world of clusted home delivery.

Growing need

Eagle's current population is approximately 5,300 residents. In the last three years, Eagle has grown, on average, 15 percent.

Eagle Town Planner Bill Gray says that if all the already-approved projects - Eagle Ranch, the Bluffs and Brush Creek - reach build-out, that number could grow to 8,500 to 10,000 people in the next 20 years.

Gypsum hit its own milestone back in October, when the town's population reached 5,000.

Gypsum Town Planner Lana Gallegos notes that town has approved development for another 5,000 residents.

That's a lot of new people both communities, and most will need post office boxes. Only about a dozen Gypsum residents still get rural delivery.

Additionally, Gray said, people who work in Gypsum and Eagle may rent boxes there, even though they don't live there.

Rumors have been circulating that the Gypsum Post Office is already out of boxes, and new customers have long waits.

Simply not true, assures Gypsum Postmistress Sandi Wilson. "We're fine. As people move, we have boxes available."

Dotsero and the Two Rivers subdivision also move to home delivery with cluster mail boxes this month. That will free up about 45 post office boxes at Gypsum.

McGibbon says the Eagle Post Office has enough boxes for at least the next year or two. After that, he says, "That would be a decision for headquarters to make." Currently there are no plans to either expand or relocate the facility.

Home delivery's future

Gray said the town of Eagle will probably look closer at home delivery for any future developments.

Even if a subdivision votes to switch to home delivery, it's not something that occurs overnight, McGibbon said. The request must be approved by the Postal Service. Equipment needs to be ordered and installed. And, a database must be established with every resident's name and new mailing address. Then, cluster boxes, or mailhouse boxes must be labeled.

"It takes time," McGibbon said.

Then, there is the issue of staffing for the post offices, which will probably have to hire more help. "To set it up for one hour is not feasible," McGibbon said. To justify the cost of additional help, McGibbon says more than one area would probably have to request home delivery. "We would need not just Eby Creek, but Eagle Ranch or the Bluffs, too."

The issue is complex, admits Gray.

He compares the post office to the local coffee shop. It's a meeting and greeting place for the local citizenry.

"Some of those small things are some of the very last things we get to hold onto," Gray said.



Vail, Colorado