Some Simsbury residents are raising concerns about snow plows damaging mailboxes but the town’s Department of Public Works believes homeowners bear some of the responsibility as well.
“We’ve had to repair ours a couple of times, but we’re going to put in a more sturdy one this summer so that shouldn’t be as big of a problem,” Guy Weiland of Simsbury said.
The Director of Public Works told NBC Connecticut the department has had close to a 100 damaged mailbox complaints so far this winter due to heavy slush or the plow of the truck hitting a mailbox. He said each complaint is reviewed and temporarily fixed on the spot if possible.
“The drivers do their best,” explained Director Tom Roy. “They take a lot of care but inevitably things do happen.”
Roy said homeowners are responsible for making sure their mailbox is properly secured. According to the town, along with being anchored, the mailbox must be at least 9 inches back from the curb or pavement.
“We have, unfortunately, seen mailboxes that are right up against the edge of the roadway and some that actually overhang the roadway. It’s just inevitably going to lead to contact with the plow.”
Some residents said it really isn’t an issue and they appreciate what the crews do and the long hours they work. They said the solution may be different in each case.
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“It just depends on the amount of damage,” Chris Odlum of Simsbury said. If it’s minor, I wouldn’t have that big of an issue, but if the whole thing just literally just popped out and was on the street, I guess it’s a little bit of a different issue.”
According to town officials, if a plow hits a mailbox and it meets town requirements, the town will cover the cost of repairing or replacing a post or mailbox with a reimbursement of $25. They also encourage residents to come on a ride-along with one of their drivers to gain a better understanding of what they run into during storms.
