West Seattle Junction mailbox watch: Not expected to be gone for months this time

(WSB photo)

Thanks to Todd for another tip about the West Seattle Junction U.S. Post Office drive-up/ride-up/walk-up mailbox – this time, that a sign’s been posted to say it’ll be gone a few weeks (past problems have taken it away for months). It’s been two weeks since the mailbox was damaged, one week since it was removed for repair. At least the sign suggests it won’t be a months-long absence this time, unlike last year.

20 Replies to "West Seattle Junction mailbox watch: Not expected to be gone for months this time"

  • sw October 25, 2018 (12:41 pm)

    Note to the Junction USPS office – this will keep happening unless you take extra measures.  Installing steel & concrete bollards at the corners at the depth of the mail slot will help alleviate people running into the mailbox.  If you build it they will come.  Go the distance.  Ease its pain.

    • JeffK October 25, 2018 (2:05 pm)

      Stick a security camera pointed at the mailbox on the parapet of the post office as well.  Send a bill to those that run in to it.

  • West Seattle since 1979 October 25, 2018 (1:16 pm)

    I guess we’ll see how long it actually takes!

  • Jon Wright October 25, 2018 (1:35 pm)

    Making an effort to proactively communicate what is going on is a major leap forward. Thank you for the update Post Office folks!

  • Rob October 25, 2018 (2:25 pm)

    Agree with SW….install some bollards to avoid the same thing in the future.  Easy fix.  

  • Forest October 25, 2018 (2:32 pm)

    So, the long-missing public mailbox just coincidentally won’t be replaced until the day after  the deadline for postmarking voter ballots? Way to  reduce or disqualify a number of West Seattle voters, USPS.

    • CAM October 25, 2018 (3:14 pm)

      Ballots have prepaid postage. Secondly, there is a drop box for ballots less than 2 blocks from this post office. 

    • A October 25, 2018 (5:29 pm)

      Forest- this isn’t some conspiracy by USPS to keep people from voting so unless you are trolling then you are out of touch with reality. This is simply some person who doesn’t know how to drive that ran into the mailbox. There are multiple ways to mail your ballot-1.You can put it in your mailbox for your letter carrier to pick up2. You can walk it into the post office3. You can find a blue outgoing mailbox to put it in. There aren’t as many left as there used to be but there are still multiple ones around 4. You can use one of the drop boxes for ballots 5. You can hand it to any letter carrier you see at any time anywhere6. You can walk up to cluster mailboxes that they are putting by the sidewalk for all these new townhomes. Many if not all of these have a slot for outgoing mail7. You can walk up to an apartment that has their mailboxes outside of the building. Many if not all of these will have a slot for outgoing mail. If this one outgoing mailbox at this post office is a postal effort to keep people from voting then they are failing miserably. Voting and sending out your ballot has never been easier. If someone doesn’t vote that’s on them, don’t blame the system. 

  • Eddie October 25, 2018 (4:40 pm)

    And Forest, let’s not forget that a mail delivery person makes a pickup AT YOUR MAILBOX six days a week, come rain or sleet or dark of night…..

  • Carole October 25, 2018 (7:07 pm)

    There is a mailing business on California a bit north of Spokane. You can also leave mail at the UPS shop in Jefferson Square.

  • Marianne October 25, 2018 (8:23 pm)

    “Thank you for your cooperation”?  The note they have had on the front door states at what time the lobby will be locked each night but no information about when it will be unlocked in the mornings.  This had made collecting mail from our P.O. Box challenging.

    • KBear October 25, 2018 (9:43 pm)

      The lobby was open late for several years. I used it often and never saw any nefarious activity there, though I don’t doubt there were some problems. However, I suspect the decision to close it was due to a change in management, not an increase in crime. And now the drive up box is gone again? It seems our post office never misses an opportunity to provide less service. 

  • Forest October 25, 2018 (10:29 pm)

    I’m unsure what prompted the patronizing and smug advice on how else to cast one’s election ballot when the public mailbox outside the West Seattle Post Office remains missing and isn’t scheduled for replacement in time to serve people who do not keep up with West Seattle Blog, and might reasonably assume their mail-in ballots can be submitted on election day at a public post office in their particular area.My own completed ballot was mailed to and received by the county elections office last week, so I don’t need a tutorial on how to vote or use the mails. And it makes no difference that the postage is prepaid, or that some voter drop boxes are available for people who for some reason choose to not simply mail their ballots from home or work. Public elections warrant ensuring access to all  voting locations. To deprive people of a public mailbox until the election has passed is a slap in their faces.  

    • sam-c October 26, 2018 (9:26 am)

      the voting conspiracy theory about the box being replaced is unusual, yes.    Though I have to say, i was really annoyed during the primary voting.   I deposited my spouse’s ballot first thing in the morning on the day of elections. the mail-person usually comes around 10 am-11 am, and definitely NOT BEFORE 8 am when I get to work.   We got King County elections mail about 2 weeks after the election that his ballot wasn’t counted because it was ‘late.’  I am not sure what the mail-person chose to do with the mail on election day, if they decided not to pick up outgoing mail that day, or forgot to turn it in when they got back to the post office, but we definitely learned our lesson to not put it off….(we had turned my ballot in about a week early in the primaries)

  • steve October 25, 2018 (11:23 pm)

    Hmmm, the bollards sound like a good idea. But,  wouldn’t that require an engineering review, as well as additional construction permit?  Not to mention, getting a managerial ok in the first place. The problems and difficulties seem insurmountable.  Lastly, where would we find someone in our community to do such labor?  I’d like the box to return while I’m still alive.

  • anonyme October 26, 2018 (7:11 am)

    FYI,  the PO does NOT make residential pickups 6 days per week (or any day, unless by accident).  I was told by the Westwood supervisor that they no longer pick up outgoing mail, which is technically incorrect.  Getting them to actually do it is another matter.  And in Arbor Heights, you’d be crazy to leave any mail where accessible to the mail thieves that swarm our neighborhood at night…

  • Lola October 26, 2018 (8:41 am)

    Who wrote this sign?  It reminds me of the fake news you are supposed to watch out for with incorrect spelling, ” Station is need to be fixed?  Can they not have someone proofread before posting.  

  • 56bricks October 26, 2018 (7:53 pm)

    Russians. Always Russians.

  • Chuck October 28, 2018 (10:06 am)

    I’ve made the same comment in the past re these missing mailboxes at Westwood and the Junction. Why can’t the USPS facilities dept have one of these mailboxes in inventory? When a box is damaged they could swap a good one for the bad one in the same day. The damaged one could then be repaired and placed in inventory ready for the next replacement. Certainly Seattle is a large enough metro to warrant the expense of having a “spare” box on hand and ready.

  • Sue T. October 28, 2018 (2:38 pm)

    I second Chuck’s comment.

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