FORT MYERS / NAPLES, FL — James Shelak of Cape Coral has been named as the winner in the U.S. Postal Service’s “Extreme Mailbox Makeover” contest, which was held during May.  Shelak, a retired Signal-Construction foreman for Norfolk Southern Railroad, said he “wanted a mailbox different from everybody else but something that reflected back to me”.   Shelak hand built his contest winning battery operated train mailbox.  When the mailbox door is opened the lights flash, bells ring and a train whistle blows.

Postal customers had the opportunity to “spiff up” their mailboxes and enter the competition.  The winner was selected by the Postal Service’s Consumer Advisory Council based on creativity and compliance with postal regulations.

Shelak will receive two sheets of First-Class mail customized photo postage stamps.  In addition, photos of his mailbox will be on display during July at the Page Field Post Office at 2655 N. Airport Rd and the Cape Central Post Office at 1030 SE 9th Ave.

Mr. Zip’s Tip:  The U.S. Postal Service delivers more mail to more addresses in a larger geographical are than any other post in the world.  The Postal Service delivers to more than 150 million homes, businesses and Post Office boxes in every state, city, town and borough in this country.  Everyone in the United States and its territories has access to postal products and services and pays the same postage regardless of their location.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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