The Clarke County Board of Supervisors has been notifying certain residents that they have until May 31st to comply with proper mailbox guidelines or the county will have to remove the mailboxes.
There are 82 residents who have until the end of the month to get in compliance with federal postal regulations.
If the mailboxes are not replaced by May 31st, the county has the authority and plans to remove the mail boxes.
The purpose of this is because the county will begin June 1 resurfacing 18 county roads. The funding for the resurfacing project is through the Mississippi State Aid Construction’s fund. Federal and state funding mandates that mail boxes be in compliance with the Mississippi Strategic Highway Plan which is to minimize the crash severity and damage of a vehicle in the event that a car runs off the shoulder of the road and strikes a mail box. The county could lose the state aid funding to resurface if the mail boxes are not in compliance.
Mail boxes cannot be constructed out of brick, heavy metal pipes, cross ties, power poles, farm equipment or concrete.
According to the U.S. Postal Service, the requirements mandate that posts be constructed where they can break away easily or “give” so that it reduces the amount of damage in the event of a vehicle crash.
Preferred mailbox installations are so that the front of the box is 8 to 12 inches from the edge of the shoulder or curb, with the post/support 39 to 48 inches above the edge of the shoulder to allow safe and convenient delivery of postal carriers.
Guidelines for mailboxes include:
• Mailboxes should be firmly attached to the support and yield or break away safely with the support
• Recommended supports are 4 inch round or square wood posts, 1.5 to 2 inch standard steel or aluminum posts or lightweight flanged channel steel posts embedded no more than 24 inches in the ground without anchor plates but may include an anti-twist device less than 10 inches below the surface
• Multiple supports should be separated by a distance equal to their height above ground or installed on a “crashworthy” support.
County workers have been placing door hangers with a letter of explanation at the residences of the affected citizens.
County roads that are scheduled to be resurfaced are:
County Road 150, 690, 331, 330, 341, 350, 370, 371, 375, 140, 160, 351, 514, 440, 511, 610 and 630.
Not all residents who live on these roads will be required to replace their mailboxes. Only the residences who receive a door hanger.
