Escalon Postmaster Ken Crandal has sent a letter out to local postal customers, asking for their cooperation.
Crandal said as schools and the majority of child care services remain closed, his motor carriers are seeing an increase in youngsters along their routes.
“During the time when more children are at home when normally they are at school or in daycare; please remind them to stay away from your mail carrier’s vehicle,” Crandal wrote.
He said especially now, kids are excited to see the mail being delivered and often approach the vehicle quickly.
“It is difficult for your carrier to check all the mirrors for children standing in front of, behind and on the blind side of the right hand drive vehicle,” he explained. “Please tell your children to stay away from the carrier’s vehicle or to stand back at a safe distance from the mailbox.”
Also, Crandal is urging residents to start gathering ideas for the annual “Mailbox Improvement Week” that typically occurs the third full week in May.
“Since some people are home now, they could consider doing it early,” Crandal said of making improvements.
Basically, the program asks residents to evaluate the appearance of their mailbox and make improvements where necessary or possible.
“Neat, attractive mailboxes contribute to the appearance of your city and countryside streets and roads,” he said. “Make sure the mailboxes are approved by the Postmaster General, are designed to protect mail from weather, and are safe to open with no sharp or rusty parts that can injure your letter carriers.”
Also, residents are asked to remove hazards from in or around mailboxes such as black widows, webs, hornet’s nests and the like. Mailboxes should feature doors that work and secure easily and the box should be fastened securely to a post or support with a minimum of one-inch high letters/numbers of the address displayed in the direction from which the carrier approaches the mailbox.
Making sure the road surface or area in front of the mailbox is level is also a part of the improvement week effort.
