This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Wait A Minute, Mr. Postman

Your favorite mailbox is gone, Shorewood. Where did it go?

Awhile back you can access by car in this town, and how it would be neat if it was accessible by the driver, and not the invisible kid that used to ride in the passenger seat who is now relegated to a strap-down in the back (I'm happy about that, but who has a willing mailer in the car anymore?).

Well I'm happy to report now that, wait, what?

I'm reporting now that I'm completely flummoxed. Last night, Shorewood Village Parks Commission Chairperson Daniel Ford sent Patch a heads up that the double drive-up mailbox on North Bartlett Avenue had been removed.

Find out what's happening in Shorewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I went to mail a bill, and the 'wrong-way' mailbox was gone. Now, what do you do?" he said, after attempting to access the mailbox on Bartlett Avenue near East Capitol Drive, adjacent to the Shorewood Post Office.Β 

He also mentioned the parking issue that develops around 3:00 p.m. weekdays when school is in session, and alludes to the difficulty those with handicaps may have in mailing and accessing the post office.

Find out what's happening in Shorewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But, who issued the removal of the "wrong way" box?

So I looked into it today. I called our post office here in Shorewood, and they said they have been fielding a host of calls about the missing box for the past couple days.

"Who took it out," people want to know.

It was a direct order from the village following a request by a construction company working on a . The new construction will eliminate the sidewalk the mailbox is on.

Yes, the post office would have liked a little more notice as well. And yes, it's temporary. Or at least until they decide whether to put it back there, or somewhere else. That's where you come in; if you have feelings about mailboxes (I will admit, I often do as I'm walking around town looking for one or heading out of town remembering a bill in the car), now is your time.

The closest nearby drive-through (correct side; no traffic violation involved) mailbox for your convenience is at the Holton Branch, at 3600 N. Holton Avenue, in Milwaukee. There, you will find a driver's side accessible mailbox. But even better, you will find the postmaster who is also in charge of Shorewood's Post Office. He is known simply as Tim. (He wouldn't tell me the rest of his name, but he says he is the only Tim). Contact him at 414-961-1637.

And Tim says the best way to get a new mailbox placed in Shorewood is to do one or both of the following:

1. Call 1-800-ASK-USPS and leave a voicemail with the Consumer Affairs Division. I balked.

I said "Tim, you're seriously asking people to call a national 800 number to get a mailbox?"Β 

And he responded that it's the only way to issue a computer trail that will get forwarded officially to the correct offices (i.e. for some in the biz, it "opens a ticket").

2. Mail a letter. (Seems appropriate, right?). Mail to: Postmaster TIM, USPS, 3600 N. Holton Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53212.

Tim is encouraging and would like your feedback. The last story we ran a few months ago yielded no results because no postmaster is located at the Shorewood Branch any more. He's at Holton. He's a good guy, but he doesn't know Shorewood that well, and didn't have thoughts for any other alternate locations for a mailbox.

He did have this piece of wisdom, in case you fear your letter to a local will take longer if you mail it from Holton. All mail in boxes is picked up starting at 1 p.m. and taken to the Central Post Office downtown, where it is sorted by route and brought back the following day to Shorewood or to its final destination. So a letter you mail there will get here just as fast. Tim said so.

Hopefully the Walgreen's box will stay put for a while.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Shorewood