By Shannon Lukens.

 

Get rid of fees for P.O. Boxes for those residents who have no other way of getting their mail. That’s the message from U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and U.S. Representative Joe Neguse. They have again written a letter to US Postal Service (USPS) officials, this time in the Colorado-Wyoming District Office, to get it done, specifically for the Steamboat Springs residents who keep having to pay.

 

The letter references that back in November 2023, USPS officials said eligible residents wouldn’t have to pay anymore and they’d get a refund, as frequently reported on Steamboat Radio News.

 

Post office box holders were given a PS Form 1093 to fill out. Post officials said they put it in each Post Office Box. We also provided the link to the 1093 form. Residents started returning those forms to the local post office.

 

Now the lawmakers are reminding postal officials to get it done because local constituents continue to ask them to uplift their concerns to USPS leadership. Don’t charge a fee anymore and provide those refunds for up to 24 months, as they said they would. The letter also says that it’s been six months, and residents are still saying they have to pay and there’s no date on when they can expect that refund.

 

Press release from Washington D.C.

Bennet, Hickenlooper, Neguse Call on USPS to Eliminate Fees for Eligible Steamboat Springs Residents to Access Their Mail

May 22, 2024

Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper alongside U.S. Representative Joe Neguse urged U.S. Postal Service (USPS) leaders to eliminate P.O. box fees for eligible Coloradans. A substantial number of Steamboat Springs residents currently pay rental fees for P.O. boxes despite qualifying for fee waivers since their physical addresses are not eligible for home delivery.

“Many Steamboat Springs residents pay over one hundred dollars annually to receive mail in their P.O. boxes, even though USPS does not deliver mail or parcels to the residents’ homes. Meanwhile, other Steamboat Springs residents and those living outside of town receive home delivery at no charge,” wrote Bennet, Hickenlooper, and Neguse. 

“In November 2023, after nearly a year of internal study and deliberation, USPS announced that eligible residents who previously paid for P.O. Boxes would no longer be charged a fee, and USPS would provide refunds for up to 24 months of previously paid fees to those residents,” continued the lawmakers. “Unfortunately, nearly six months later, eligible residents still report paying P.O. Box fees, and have not been provided with an estimated date by which they can expect an update or a refund.”

Bennet and Hickenlooper have consistently pushed USPS to improve mail service for Colorado’s mountain communities. In March, Bennet joined 20 Senate colleagues urging USPS to stop any changes that could result in job losses and further degrade mail delivery performance for Colorado and 34 other states. In April, Bennet and Hickenlooper again pushed back on USPS’ proposal. Earlier this month, USPS announced it would temporarily pause these network changes and therefore, USPS will not be moving mail processing operations from the Grand Junction Mail Processing Facility this year following the senators’ calls.

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Dr. Colin and Mr. Smith,

We write to urge the United States Postal Service (USPS), Colorado-Wyoming District Office to expedite the process determining eligibility for residents in the City of Steamboat Springs, Colorado who do not receive USPS home delivery to receive a post office box (P.O. Box) at no charge. We also request USPS issue refunds to eligible residents and provide an update to our offices on your progress in a timely manner.

Many Steamboat Springs residents pay over one hundred dollars annually to receive mail in their P.O. boxes, even though USPS does not deliver mail or parcels to the residents’ homes. Meanwhile, other Steamboat Springs residents and those living outside of town receive home delivery at no charge. In November 2023, after nearly a year of internal study and deliberation, USPS announced that eligible residents who previously paid for P.O. Boxes would no longer be charged a fee, and USPS would provide refunds for up to 24 months of previously paid fees to those residents. Unfortunately, nearly six months later, eligible residents still report paying P.O. Box fees, and have not been provided with an estimated date by which they can expect an update or a refund.

We applaud USPS employees’ hard work and dedication to delivering mail and parcels to local residents, while implementing substantial changes to the post office’s systems. We recognize local residents must complete and return Postal Service Form (PS) 1093 for USPS to determine eligibility, which the USPS is working to process. We also understand USPS is considering new delivery routes for Steamboat Springs, which requires a requisite level of planning before implementation. Nevertheless, eligible local residents, many of whom have already submitted a completed PS Form 1093, are rightfully growing increasingly frustrated that USPS has not yet issued an update on these efforts and continues to charge them for P.O. box rentals.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to hearing from the Colorado-Wyoming District Office with an update on the timeline for the completion of these initiatives, and request that the USPS implement these changes as soon as practical.

 

Coverage of U.S. Post Office issues from Steamboat Radio News and some statewide media outlets

• April 29, 2024 — STEAMBOAT SPRINGS POST OFFICE CONTINUES TO MOVE 80488 BOXES TO 80477 SIDE
• April 15, 2024 — U.S. SENATORS WRITE POSTMASTER DEJOY ABOUT IMPACT ON MAIL IF GRAND JUNCTION FACILITY IS CONSOLIDATED
• March 28, 2024 — LOCAL POST OFFICE SAYS TO EXPECT MORE HOME DELIVERY AND 80488 BOXES ARE ENDING
• March 15, 2024 — U.S. SENATORS SEND STRONG LETTER TO USPS POSTMASTER GENERAL DEJOY
• March 7, 2024 — USPS SUBCONTRACTORS FROM STEAMBOAT AND CRAIG SAY THEY HAVEN’T BEEN PAID SINCE OCTOBER
• Jan. 3, 2024 — USPS POSTMASTER GENERAL RECEIVES DEMANDS FOR ACTION FROM AUDIT REPORT
• Dec. 27, 2023 – 1093 FORMS ARE BEING TURNED IN FOR A FREE P.O. BOX IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
• Dec. 6, 2023 — US POSTMASTER GENERAL RELEASES AUDIT ON MOUNTAIN TOWNS
• Nov. 27, 2023 — CONGRESSMAN NEGUSE CONFIRMS IMPENDING P.O. BOX REFUNDS
• Nov. 19, 2023 — POSTAL PROBLEMS IN CRAIG ARE BEING ADDRESSED
• Nov. 19, 2023 — USPS PROCESS TAKES NEXT STEP FOR LOCALS TO GET FREE P.O. BOXES
• Jan. 31, 2023 — CONGRESSMAN JOE NEGUSE CALLS FOR ACTION TO MAIL PROBLEMS IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
• March 8, 2023 — STEAMBOAT SPRINGS POST OFFICE UPDATE FOR MARCH 8, 2023
• March 7, 2023 U.S. SENATORS MEET WITH POSTMASTER GENERAL
• Feb. 17, 2023 – STEAMBOAT SPRINGS POST OFFICE UPDATE FOR FRIDAY, FEB. 17
• Feb. 13, 2023 – LATEST UPDATES FROM STEAMBOAT SPRINGS POST OFFICE
• March 6, 2023 — Denver 7 News Story  Steamboat resident says pay for rural mail carriers doesn’t match U.S. Postal Service’s promotion
• March 4, 2023 – 9News Colorado Mountain towns suing 
• March 1, 2023 — CBS 4 Mountain towns pick attorneys to potentially sue USPS 
• Jan. 31, 2023 — Fox 31 USPS calls on workers to come in and help Steamboat 
• Feb. 8, 2023 — Corrigan wants answers to PO Problem 
• Feb. 6, 2023 — Should you be paying for your PO Box in Steamboat? 
• Jan. 31, 2023 — Congressman Neguse calls for action 
• Jan. 30, 2023 — Volunteers start cleaning the post office 
• Jan. 25, 2023 — Icy Ruts cause huge damage to cares in PO Parking Lot 
• Jan. 11, 2023 – 9News Story  Some Steamboat Springs residents say they haven’t received mail for weeks
• Jan. 11, 2023 – STEAMBOAT SPRINGS POST OFFICE UPDATE