Since there is only one freestanding mailbox on the property, by my recollection, I assume they are referring to the mailbox at the outer edge of the shopping center parking lot, right off Sentinel Drive. The only other mailbox nearby, as I recall, was at the entrance of the apartments around the bend on Sentinel Drive. According to the USPS, the second-closest mailbox in walking distance is on Westpath Road. The Sumner Place box was convenient for residents of the townhomes and condos across Sentinel from the shopping center.
Interestingly, demand apparently remains high for the mailbox at the Westwood Shopping Center, on Westbard Avenue. There are no notices regarding low demand or planned removal of that box, located outside of the Westwood Pet Center at the busy shopping center.
14 comments:
I think this is an area-wide trend. I've seen this now on many mailboxes particularly where there are more than one at the same location. I think I saw one at Cabin John Post Office last time I was there, and maybe even one at hte drive-up mailbox at the old Bethesda post office (near the police station).
Not sure if they'll do it at the main 20817 post office (Westlake). The drive-up mailbox gets so full on Sundays that you have to get out of your car and use the walk-up box next to it sometimes.
Another example of the MoCo Machine in action?!
We can confirm that the MoCo Machine has wielded its airtight political influence to force the United States Postal Service to remove this particular mailbox.
The MoCo Machine is not fond of mailboxes as we prefer new-fangled techniques such as "email" and the "internet."
By forcing the altacockers of Sangamore Road to walk an extra block, we feel many will realize the potential and promise of the world wide web....except of course for lifetime Bethesda resident bloggers who threaten the MoCo Machine's aspirations.
Scandal! Scandal!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure Tysons still has their mailboxes, because they have direct access to Dulles! Without a second Potomac River crossing, USPS doesn't want to deliver to MoCo anymore!!
12:15 Good to know! Now, can you give us more detail on their role in the selection of 6900 Wisconsin Avenue as the new downtown post office location. Did they sign off on it with full approval, despite knowing there was no parking, no functional accessibility for the disabled, and that it was not in easy walking distance for Woodmont Triangle residents? Or, alternatively, were they completely hands-off, and uninvolved in as basic of a constituent service issue as there is - the US Mail?
1:06 You're actually not far off base - Amazon has been testing new services and shipping concepts in Northern VA, and not in Montgomery County. That's because the packages can be brought in at nearby Dulles Airport. I'm sure Jeff Bezos would like to reduce his shipping costs to MoCo with a new Potomac River bridge!
The pair of boxes near Norfolk and Auburn has one of those signs too.
First they came for the pay phones, but I wasn't a pay phone, so I didn't speak up.
Then they came for the newspaper boxes, but I wasn't a newspaper box, so I didn't speak up.
Then they came for the mailboxes next to the post offices, but I wasn't next to a post office, so I didn't speak up.
Then they came for me, but there was no one left to speak up.
http://www.sadtrombone.com/
The new post office should have been included in the Arlington Road project that replaced the previous one.
There are recent examples of post offices being included in developments, such as The Phoenix condominium in Clarendon.
I noticed some folks laugh about mail service, but they're the first ones to complain when their mail is delivered late.
Other than my bank statement and telephone/cable invoice (which is paid by automatic debit), the only mail I get these days is advertising. If the mail comes late, I don't really notice.
THREAT LEVEL DYER!~
Robert Dyer,
As a federal agency, the US Postal Service has the authority to locate whatever location it deems appropriate based on the site's practicality and costs (a major issue in downtown Bethesda). USPS has immunity from local zoning laws and other regulations (although it usually respects them).
If you or other residents had serious concerns regarding the relocation of the US Post Office it is your duty to pass them on to your US congressman.
8:21 PM - I'm aware of the jurisdictional issues. The question is, what level of involvement did the county politicians have in the matter? Did they express any opinion or concerns at any point? Or did they just ignore the selection process? What I've heard from the staff of Congressman Chris Van Hollen, is that the concerns he expressed about the new location were entirely ignored in the USPS final decision. So contacting my congressman doesn't sound very effective.
Post a Comment