Cranberry Takes on Cluster Mailbox Issues

With the U.S. Postal Service pushing more “centralized delivery” across the country, Cranberry has accepted the inevitability of cluster mailboxes in the community—but that doesn’t mean officials don’t want to have a say in it.

Township manager Jerry Andree said the implementation of the mailboxes in the township’s new neighborhoods needs to take into account a variety of issues, including security, parking, weather protection and maintenance questions, if they’re going to be successful.

“The postmaster is coming around to understand that we need to design these into our neighborhoods,” he said. “Our point is you can’t just plop these things into a neighborhood. We need to look at access, lighting, safety, cover and ownership, because the post office does not own them.”

In June, the Cranberry Board of Supervisors approved a resolution that cited the challenges of incorporating the units into the community and asked the post office to reconsider the plan.

In recent months, local postmasters have been reaching out to fast-growing communities to warn them cluster mailboxes are how mail will be delivered to newly constructed neighborhoods in the future.

Why Cluster Mailboxes?

According to CNN, moving away from door-to-door delivery will save the cash-strapped postal service about 4.5 billion annually.

Currently, 35 million residences and businesses get mail delivered to their doorstep with a cost of $353 per stop for a delivery in most American cities, CNN reports.

By contrast, curbside mailbox delivery costs $224, while cluster boxes cost $160, according to a report from the Postal Service's Office of Inspector General.

Andree said Cranberry is sympathetic to the postal service’s financial situation, but believes more care needs to be put into the implementation of the cluster units.

“We understand the post office has an absolute right to put these in,” he said. “What we’re saying is, work with us and we will make the model for you.”

Cranberry officials have been meeting with the local postmaster, Jim McChesay, to come up with a reasonable design for the local units, he said.

“He has been extremely understanding of the township,” Andree said. “We extend our thanks to him because he is under tremendous pressure to implement these everywhere.”

The Clusters in Cranberry

At last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, officials used a photo of a cluster mailbox unit from a neighboring community as an example of what they don’t want in Cranberry. 

Housing mail for 77 residences, the beige unit displayed at the meeting had no cover for inclement weather, no parking to accommodate traffic flow and no lighting. The unit has larger slots to accommodate package deliveries.

“They put a key in your mailbox with a note saying you have a package there,” Andree said of how the units work. “How many times do those keys break off? They break all the time. Who is responsible for them?”

Communities are able to chose their preferred mailbox unit style. Andree said this there is a catalogue of mailbox cluster options. 

Ron Henshaw, Cranberry’s director of community development, also is designing a standard for the Cranberry mailboxes that address the township’s concerns with security, parking, access and more.

“We would look at requiring certain standards,” Andree said. “There are a lot of issues surrounding these mailboxes. Our community needs are to make sure our neighborhoods stay vibrant, sustainable and attractive.”

Residents could be seeing the new units around town soon. 

Andree said plans for all the new neighborhoods in Cranberry that are approved, but not built yet, will be retrofitted with the cluster mailbox units.

 Thoughts on the cluster mailbox units in Cranberry? Tell us in the comment section below.