Wall Street Journal: CRESTED BUTTE, Colo.—Residents of this small mountain town used to get their mail without incident, they said. A few years ago, something changed.
Now, those who live in the ski community of 1,600, which has no home delivery of either mail or parcels, say they must wait in line for up to an hour during midday to pick up any package. In other Colorado towns, such as Silverthorne and Steamboat Springs, residents say mail delivery has ceased for weeks or months at a time.
“Christmas cards began arriving in February,” said Ryan Hyland, town manager of Silverthorne, a town of 4,500 on Interstate 70. “But what’s not funny at all is driver’s licenses, disability payments, election ballots, prescriptions.”
Last month, seven Western Colorado towns and cities, led by Crested Butte, said they had banded together to hire lawyers to evaluate their options under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, which requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide service across the nation. The mobilization comes as a lack of reliable mail service is increasingly being reported in small towns and rural areas across the country.
