Saturday, March 24, 2007

Remember those Alamo mailboxes?

Evelyn Cronce El Defensor Cheiftain Reporter

Postal Service will advertise for a contract

carrier to deliver the mail from Magdalena

ecronce@dchieftain.com

Since the post office in Alamo closed along with the general store, residents of Alamo and the surrounding areas have been petitioning the federal government to get mail delivery.

Alamo residents have been driving 30 miles each way into Magdalena to pick up their mail.

The residents got together another petition in November 2005 that got some results.

The U.S. Postal Service finally dropped off mailboxes at the Chapter House in the fall of 2006, almost a year later, and left the problem of setting them up to local residents.

The residents have received the necessary right-of-way. The mailboxes will be located on the Alamo Reservation just south of the Chapter House.

Now a new problem has come up. Magdalena rancher Jim Nance said the residents were told the postal service would not put down a foundation for the mailboxes.

The residents have received estimates and found that with delivery costs, the cement will cost approximately $3,000.

"We need 4 truckloads," said Nance. "With a $300 per truckload delivery charge, that's $1,200 just for delivery, so we're going to do it ourselves."Nance said he had already taken his tractor to the site and smoothed it out in preparation for the foundation.

"We've got a lot of people willing to help. Even Don Tripp has already volunteered to help," he said.

Nance said he hopes the residents will be able to buy the materials, and do the mixing and pouring themselves, perhaps as early as April.

Once the boxes are in place and the locks are installed, the residents will be assigned boxes at their request.

Nance said after this is all done, the U.S. Postal Service would be informed that it has been completed.

It is his understanding the Postal Service will advertise for a contract carrier who will deliver the mail out of the Magdalena Post Office.

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