Springfield: A Mail Box Desert

Springfield is the only neighborhood in our area that lacks a mail collection box. Some neighborhoods have more than one. The map below shows the current situation. Our “mail box desert” will grow once redevelopment work gets underway and impedes access to the box on Westbard Ave. and the one in the shopping center. The SCA Board is launching an effort to get a new mail collection box for Springfield to remedy this situation.

Mail boxes may seem unnecessary when postal carriers will collect letters and small parcels from our doorstep, yet most of us have occasion to use one now and then. Maybe it’s to mail an envelope with a large check or sensitive medical information that we would rather not leave hanging out of the mail slot for anyone to take. Maybe we’d prefer not to leave a parcel sitting out in plain sight. Parents might want to send their children out with a letter to mail to give them an early taste of responsibility. The lack of a collection box in our neighborhood makes these postal transactions inconvenient, at best.

Late last year, SCA President, Phyllis Edelman wrote to Postmaster Hugo Aldana asking him to place a mail collection box in our neighborhood. Postmaster Aldana is in charge of the Westlake Carrier Annex, which provides mail service to Bethesda. Aldana did not respond to this letter, so we would like to step up the pressure. The SCA Board is asking Springfield residents to send a letter to him at the following address:

Mr. Hugo Aldana, Postmaster

Westlake Carrier Annex

10421 Motor City Drive

Bethesda, MD, 20817

You may wish to note that:

• • Springfield is a community with over 650 homes, but no mail collection box.

  • We used to have two mail boxes, but both were removed around 2002.

  • We likely will lose access to two nearby collection boxes when redevelopment work gets underway along Westbard Ave.

  • We would like to enjoy the same mail service as surrounding neighborhoods, which all have one or more collection boxes.

Then add your own reasons why you sometimes use a mail box, even when mail carriers will collect letters and parcels from your home. The more you can personalize your letter, the more persuasive it is apt to be.

The SCA Board plans to contact the office of our new Congressman, Jamie Raskin, to try to secure his support for our mail collection box project. However, we first want to demonstrate that the community is behind this effort through a strong letter writing campaign to Postmaster Aldana. Please try to mail your letter no later than March 22. We would like all of our letters to arrive on his desk at roughly the same time.

If you have any questions, please contact Colin Helmer.