Road declared dangerous ends mail delivery to Morganton street

A neighborhood outside Morganton was told mail will no longer be delivered on a road because the Morganton Post Office has deemed it dangerous.

Mail delivery to Scenic View Drive stopped as of Monday and neighbors, some of whom are disabled and veterans, are upset about the decision.

Letters from the post office

Timothy Masters is one of about five military veterans who live in the neighborhood. His neighbors, he said, include several disabled residents who depend on the mail. He said the neighbors received the first letter from the Morganton Post Office about a month ago telling them the road is unsafe and they need to fix the private road or delivery of the mail would end.

The second letter from the Morganton Post Office, dated June 25, is addressed to the roughly 20 residents of Scenic View Drive in Morganton. It says residents were recently notified that there are issues with the road and the location of their mailboxes. District office representatives checked out the location and determined the road was too dangerous for its carrier.

"As a result of this investigation, we will no longer be able to service that area," the letter says.

The letter goes on to tell the residents they can relocate their mailboxes to an address on Willowtree Church Road at the top of Scenic View Drive or rent a post office box. The letter reminds residents that if they relocate their mailboxes, the carrier will not be able to deliver packages to their homes on Scenic View Drive so they will need to rent a larger box, place a tote or secure box at their mailbox. The letter says the post office will hold mail at the Morganton location for 10 days before it is sent back to the sender.

Postal service responds

Philip Bogenberger, a United States Postal Service spokesman for the Charlotte region, said the safety of employees is a top priority.

"Carriers will attempt every delivery where it is reasonably safe to do so," Bogenberger said. "Carriers cannot make deliveries if the road conditions cause a road to become impassable or if the road conditions could cause an injury to a carrier or damage to a carrier's vehicle."

He went on to say that until necessary repairs to the road are completed, customers can move their mailboxes to the part of the road that is accessible by the carrier's vehicle.

"We thank customers for their understanding and continued support," Bogenberger said.

Masters said complaints about the road only started about a year ago after a new carrier took over the route. He called the determination that the road is unsafe or dangerous based on an unhappy carrier unjust and ludicrous.

Fixing the road

Masters, who has lived in the neighborhood for 13 years, said a neighbor was quoted an estimate of $3,000 and $5,000 to fix the rough patches in the road. But he said the people living along the road don't have extra money needed to fix it. With his wife disabled and him working part-time, he certainly doesn't have it, Masters said. He said Scenic View Drive residents were given around 30 days to fix the road before the post office stopped the mail.

Masters said he has been grading the rough patches by hand for 10 years but a rough area that sits in front of his property has just gotten bigger over the years. He said he believes it is the steep incline of the road that caused the problem.

Because of health issues, he has had to stop grading the rough area, Masters said.

"I guess it kind of gives me blue-collar American because there's just, 'Hey, either you fix that road or we're shutting you down.' You know they don't care who's up here from vets to disabled," Masters said. "I mean, it was just like putting their thumb down on you without any kind of trying to come together as a community. I mean, post office is part of our community. You know, the people that deliver the mail live here. I mean, you know, work with us instead of just shutting us down."

A road has to be brought up to minimum construction standards, including drainage standards, before it can be petitioned to be added to the state system of roads, according to information from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

What neighbors say

Jacquelyn and Steven Roberts bought their house at the end of the road three years ago. Jacquelyn calls the situation frustrating and aggravating. She said the road was "sketchy" when they moved in but cars can get up the road. She said the road has been in worse condition than it currently is and the post office never complained until now.

"I mean, you can get over it if you drive over it the right way but I think maybe they're trying to speed up it, maybe, and just going over all the bumps and not actually going over it," she said. "Like, if you go slow it's not really that big of a deal trying to get up it. I get up it fine and I drive a little Kia."

Jacquelyn Roberts said she can't afford to help fix the road. She said she may be forced to move her mailbox.

"It's an aggravation for me just because it's annoying, but there's a lot of people that don't have easy access to just say, 'Let's go to the end of the road and get the mail," she said about people on the road who are disabled.

"I take care of elderly people, so I know what they can and cannot do and how hard it is for somebody to be disabled," Jacquelyn Roberts said. "And it's not just easy just to go out and do whatever you want to do."

Tommy Hall lives on the road and says there is no danger, "just a rough spot in the road."

He said FedEx, UPS and other drivers make deliveries to residents along the road and he questions why the post office can't deliver the mail. He said the residents need a resolution because they are American citizens who pay taxes.

"Neither rain nor sleet nor snow. OK, isn't that their motto? So what's a little rough spot in the road not fulfilling their promise to us?" Hall said. "People pay postage to make sure it gets in the box, and that's where it ought to be. So if the person who is charged with this job can't do the job, that person needs to find another job, and they need to get somebody who can do the job. That's all I know."

He added, "I'm old. Today, I'm 78 and a half years old. You know, I expect the public servants to be that, servants and not whiners and complainers. So I think most of the neighborhood feels that way, and we just want to see a good resolution and peace on the hill. That's all."