Pulaski NY – The recent snows that blanketed the area has created challenges in communities throughout Tug Hill and the North Country, including routine delivery of the mail.

Postal officials are asking for the public’s help in keeping sidewalks, pathways, approaches to and egress from mailboxes free of snow and ice so postal letter carriers can safely deliver the mail.

Mounds of snow and patches of ice in front of mailboxes create havoc for carriers trying to safely deliver the mail. Residents maintaining a clear path to the mailbox — including steps, porches, walkways and street approach — will help postal carriers maintain consistent delivery service.

Customers receiving curbside delivery should also ensure clear access to their mailboxes for carriers who deliver from the street as part of their household or business routine.  Officials add that the uptick in volumes of packages, including Sunday deliveries in areas, increase this concern as carriers with heavy packages are coming to more doorsteps than ever before.

Postal employees make every reasonable effort to deliver mail in many difficult weather conditions. However, delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes. The Postal Service considers employee safety one of its top priorities and instructs letter carriers not to deliver if it is not safe to do so.

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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