CHESAPEAKE, Va. — When Chesapeake resident Constance Howard noticed glass and debris scattered around her neighborhood mailbox in early September, she said she quickly learned a car had hit the cluster mailbox serving neighbors on Wickford Drive.
Nearly two months later, Howard says the mailbox still has not been repaired, forcing her and some of her neighbors to pick up their mail at the post office on Battlefield Boulevard instead of receiving deliveries in their neighborhood.
"I have to go to the post office and pick my mail up just about every other day," Howard said. "And that's too much on me. I'm an 80-year-old lady. It's really bothering me. I had knee surgery and it's bothering me getting in and out of my vehicle."
Howard, who has lived on Wickford Drive for about 20 years, said the situation has become especially difficult because of her age and mobility challenges.
She said she has tried to get answers from postal workers about when the mailbox will be repaired but has been unable to find a solution.
"They told me there was nothing they can do. The post office ain't have anything to do with that," Howard said. "So from there, I just said to myself what can I do?"
That's when Howard contacted WTKR News 3's Chesapeake reorter for help.
The situation is similar to another mailbox issue Erin Holly previously covered in Chesapeake earlier this year.
See previous coverage: Chesapeake neighbors say damaged community mailbox has left them without mail delivery for nearly two months
In that case, residents went without normal mail service after a community mailbox was damaged from a winter storm. Days after that story aired, USPS repaired the mailbox and mail service resumed.
See previous coverage: Coverage of broken Chesapeake mailbox leads to repair
After hearing from Howard, Erin Holly reached out to the U.S. Postal Service for answers about the Wickford Drive mailbox.
In a statement, USPS said its carriers cannot deliver mail to a damaged mailbox and explained that repairs to cluster box units are typically the responsibility of property owners, property managers or homeowners associations.
"The Postal Service's goal is to deliver all mail and packages timely, safely and securely. Our carriers cannot deliver mail to a damaged receptacle," the statement said.
USPS said property owners, property managers or homeowners associations are generally responsible for the installation, maintenance and repair of cluster box units. Once the units are repaired, the Postal Service can issue a work order to install locks.
The agency also addressed situations in neighborhoods without a property manager or homeowners association, like Howard's.
"If there is no property manager or homeowner's association and the homeowner cannot replace the mailbox, we ask the customer to contact the local Postmaster to work through a resolution," USPS said. "Until then, mail can be picked up at the Post Office during normal business hours."
Howard says she hopes the attention from this story helps bring a resolution for her and the other residents who rely on the mailbox.
"I hope it brings for y'all to help us get our mail and help us out," Howard said. "That would be a great help to me and to the others. I know most of these people out here are elder peoples."
For now, residents who use the damaged mailbox must continue picking up their mail at the post office while they await a permanent fix.
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