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Subdivision moves mailboxes, USPS says it's not delivering their mail
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DENHAM SPRINGS - People living along a private drive moved their mailboxes, and now the United States Postal Service is refusing to deliver their mail.
Fourteen houses make up the subdivision developed along Matherne Place Drive, a private gravel road in Denham Springs. Matherne Place Drive intersects with Dunn Road, a busy two-lane stretch between Lockhart Road and Arnold Road. Up until a couple of weeks ago, all 14 residents had their mailboxes set on Dunn Road, near their street.
That changed at the end of September when Tye Legleu says their mail was stolen yet again.
"We all decided we've had enough," Legleu said.
That's when 12 of the 14 mailboxes were moved by the homeowners to the end of their driveways, along Matherne Place Drive. The day after the mailboxes were moved, mail was delivered. The next day, the mail stopped.
Legleu reached out to 2 On Your Side for help since several attempts over the last year to meet with the postmaster have been refused.
"We refuse to be put into a position where we have to go back into a more unsafe situation," Legleu said.
There are quite a few reasons Legleu says he and his neighbors took this course of action, and it boils down to safety and security. In addition to their mail being stolen, neighbors say Dunn Road is very busy and it's dangerous for their mail to be delivered and retrieved. A road without a shoulder and a steep ditch have created several issues, including land erosion around the mailboxes and the mail carrier sliding off the road into the ditch itself. Legleu says he and his neighbors have had to pull the mail carrier out in the past.
When the 12 neighbors moved their mailboxes, they thought it would be a good change for all parties involved. Instead, the USPS has stopped delivering their mail.
USPS tells 2 On Your Side a resident can't move their mailbox unless they have received prior approval from the postmaster. It's something Legleu says they've tried to get before.
"Every time someone tries to make contact with the postmaster they either don't get a return call or they can't get a hold of her," he said.
Now that they've moved the mailboxes, the neighborhood is learning more.
"From what we've heard, they say the gravel road is too slippery," he said. "I don't know if I can believe that because we see the mail lady come down here every day anyhow."
Legleu says the mail carrier delivers packages that don't fit in the mailbox right to their front doors. Video captured by neighbors shows the USPS truck driving down the private gravel road to deliver the packages. Other delivery drivers including UPS, FedEx, and Amazon Prime also deliver packages right to their front doors.
Tuesday, 2 On Your Side learned from the USPS that the Denham Springs Post Office has agreed to meet with customers regarding their mailboxes next week. Legleu says he'll be attending the meeting and will report what happens to Brittany Weiss.
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