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March of the dead mailboxes

Posted at 2:57 PM on January 13, 2011 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Back in my very old days of covering the city council in a small town, I learned quickly that if the topic is dogs, I should forget about a timely dinner. Barking ordinances, leash laws, and license disputes are the it-hits-home standard for city politics.

Here's another: Mailboxes struck by plows.

In Burnsville, ThisWeekLive reports today, they're prepared to draw a line at replacing mailboxes that are damaged during snowplow operations.

An average mailbox might cost $75 to replace, but more elaborate boxes -- some surrounded by rock landscaping -- can cost far more, Bud Osmundson, public work director for the city says. "We've replaced $2,000 or $3,000 mailboxes, as silly as that sounds," he said.

The new policy will be that mailboxes will be replaced only if they're actually hit by the plow. If they're damaged by snow/ice that is pushed into them by the plow, the homeowner is out of luck.

The policy aligns with MnDOT's policy, even though over 5,000 pounds of force hit your mailbox, even if the plow doesn't.

The council in Burnsville will vote on the proposal on February 22.

Don't hold dinner.

(Photo via Flickr: Creative Commons license)

Comments (1)

Isn't damaging a mailbox a federal offence?
Title 18, Section 1705 of the U.S. Code? Or do I have ths wrong? If so, are municipalities subject to prosecution under these laws?

Posted by SnazzySlaxx | January 13, 2011 4:23 PM