Albuquerque neighborhood left without mailboxes for nine months

By T.J. Wilham

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — For nearly nine months, residents of an Albuquerque neighborhood have traveled up to an hour to pick up their mail.

That’s because the neighborhood’s shared mailbox was damaged in March and was possibly run over by a car.

Despite repeated requests, the United States Postal Service has yet to replace the mailbox, citing compliance issues with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Kris Chongsiriwatana depends on timely mail delivery for medical supplies and financial documents.

“This one is for my annuity report,” he said, sorting through his mail. “This is the parts for my breathing machine, so called BiPAP. And I use it every night to breathe.”

In March, residents discovered the mailbox lying on its side.

“The box [was] on its side laying off of the pedestal,” said Darren Hoke, who also lives in the neighborhood. “It was either vandalized or perhaps an automobile or something [hit] it.”

According to Hoke, the Postal Service never provided clear instructions or an estimated timeline for a replacement, leaving residents in limbo.

“At the six-month mark, our frustrations peaked, and I reached out to every member of the United States New Mexico congressional delegation,” Hoke said.

In response, the Postal Service sent a letter explaining that it was “unable to replace the boxes because the slab they are currently affixed to does not meet requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act.” The letter also said the Postal Service collaborating with the city to resolve the issue.

“You can see the pad. There’s no damage to the pad,” Hoke said. “(They could) simply put a new box over these studs, put some anti-tamper bolts on it, and you’re good to go,” Hoke said while pointing where the mailbox used to be.

Hoke contacted Target 7. The city initially responded, saying, “The city doesn’t own sidewalks. The property owner owns the sidewalk. We don’t fix sidewalks unless we are asked to, and if we do, we bill the property owner.”

“You kidding me?” Hoke shouted after hearing the explanation.

Tiffany Gravelle lives in the house in front of the mailbox.

“Shocking.” Gravelle added, “If I had my choice, I’d prefer to go to my own home mailbox.”

KOAT legal expert John Day said the residents might ultimately be held financially responsible for the repairs.

“Legally, if the city says, ‘Well, this is not our sidewalk, we can’t do anything,’ you would think that the burden then would be on the post office to say, ‘This is what you do to get a mailbox installed in your neighborhood,’” Day said.

Hours before the investigation was to air, the city and the Postal Service provided additional updates. According to the city, a metal cover for a water meter located near the mailboxes is the primary issue, as it prevents ADA compliance.

Residents would need to stand on the cover to retrieve their mail, as the mailboxes were originally installed facing the wrong direction.

“Our team is ready to build a new pad for the mailbox that will be ADA-compliant and are waiting for approval on our plan from the post office,” a spokesman said.

However, the city did not say it would be financially responsible for the repairs.

The Postal Service issued an apology, saying it is “diligently working with our maintenance team and the city to get the new pad poured and the box installed as soon as possible.” As Day aptly summarized the situation: “It’s not rocket science.”

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