Followup: West Seattle mailbox removal is part of regional purge


View Larger Map

We published an item 10 days ago about two U.S. Postal Service dropboxes, on Alki Ave and Beach Drive (shown above via Google Street View), flagged with notices of upcoming removal (they may even be gone already – we haven’t had time to check in person). As promised, we contacted the local USPS HQ to follow up. Spokesperson Ernie Swanson says he doesn’t have a full list of marked mailboxes, but “about 70 boxes … might be removed this month from the area considered the Seattle Post Office which covers ZIP Codes from 98101 thru 98199, which, besides the City of Seattle, includes the cities of Des Moines, Burien, Shoreline and Bainbridge Island.” Pre-removal, he says, that area has about 600 mailboxes – so that means more than 10 percent are likely to go away. Overall, he explained the reason for the removal as follows:

The Postal Service periodically conducts density tests on mail collection boxes. Those boxes that have fewer than 25 pieces of mail in them per day over a two-week period are considered for removal. Nation-wide, First-Class mail volume has been decreasing significantly over the last few years, some eight billion pieces a year since 2001. We have stepped up the pace on doing density tests. Currently, we are removing collection boxes throughout the City of Seattle. In fact, collection boxes around the country are being removed as a cost-cutting measure. The U.S. Postal Service is instituating other cost-cutting measures as well. We lost about $2.8 billion in FY 2008 and expect to perhaps lose that much again this FY.

9 Replies to "Followup: West Seattle mailbox removal is part of regional purge"

  • Robert2715 January 20, 2009 (4:10 pm)

    The box at Belvidere and Stevens is a goner.

    (Most people use the one at Belvidere and Admiral anyway)

    “Don’t have a list” – what a bunch of bull.

  • JumboJim January 20, 2009 (4:37 pm)

    Soon big blue corner mailboxes will be as rare as phone booths. Blame cel phones, text messages and e-mail…

  • WSB January 20, 2009 (4:44 pm)

    Also, unfortunately, I would lay some of the “blame” on criminals … even though the mailboxes are supposed to be theftproofed, there’ve been enough problems here and there, I know I personally haven’t felt comfortable putting mail in a street box in years – if I actually have to send postal mail (so rare!) we’ll take it to the Westwood post office and use the drop slot inside – TR

  • Diane January 20, 2009 (4:59 pm)

    Ha ha–has Google Goofed?
    The road to the east in the map above is labeled Alaska St. and we all know it’s Jacobsen Rd.
    Hope the fire department has a better system.

  • old timer January 20, 2009 (9:02 pm)

    I know it’s spit in the wind but,
    The USPS was established and given a monopoly on mail delivery just so
    those ‘less than 25 pieces per day’ could and would be serviced.
    Are the next cuts to be to private mailboxes more than xxx feet from an arterial?
    IMO. charge a half a buck a stamp, and keep the services.
    Jobs for some and convenience for others.
    Aren’t we supposed to share the load?
    Rant over.

  • WSB January 20, 2009 (9:17 pm)

    Re: The G-map, I thought maybe it was one of those abrupt name changes (like where Lincoln Park Way becomes 47th SW right before Fauntleroy) but King County Parcel Viewer clearly says Beach/Jacobsen, so Google apparently IS in the wrong, at least if you take the government entity as the source. (Google refused to recognize Beach/Jacobsen for starters.) Fascinating.

  • publicadministrator January 21, 2009 (10:23 am)

    What’s with the griping…shouldn’t this be applauded?

    A gov’t entity in the red is reducing costs by eliminating inefficiences determined by a quantifiable method. In a sense it may be a service reduction, but preferable to doing nothing or increasing postal rates.

    It’s hard to imagine that FedEx or UPS would maintain their low usage drop boxes in similar circumstances.

    Furthermore the spokeperson was clever to note that “he doesn’t have a full list of marked boxes”. Why invite pocket campaigns to preserve “our corner mailbox”? The low tech method of postering the soon to be de-commissioned with a reference to nearest local sounds smart to me.

  • Rhonda Porter January 21, 2009 (11:53 am)

    As someone who uses the Beach Drive/Jacobsen mail box (and I know my neigbhors do as well)…we’re pretty disappointed. I don’t see how this is going to cut costs when the “mail man” takes his break right by the mail box before hitting his route anyhow. What’s the big deal to stop by and pick up our mail once a day? There is no way I’ll leave mail in our mail box.

  • Cat Woman January 22, 2009 (6:43 am)

    I disagree with the Post office that the Beach/Jacobson post box is not needed. As the previous poster said, the postal worker takes their break right there every day – geez. I went to the post office (something I do about 3 times a year) to mail a package and asked the post office where the next closest box was…. and it is not within reasonable walking distance (per the post office worker!). I guess they expect everyone to either take a bus or have a car to drop their mail in a secure spot. For me that will be the ~2 miles to the post office How “green” of them.

Sorry, comment time is over.