USPS Letter To the Conservatory

May 01, 2023

Dear The Conservatory at the Plains HOA and Conservatory Metropolitan District,

This letter is to give notice that the cluster box units (CBU) for this community need repair.

Considering an ongoing string of recent break-ins into CBUs and a lack of sufficient security inmany subdivisions, the USPS must follow our policies regarding whose responsibility it is to

provide a mailbox for mail delivery service.

While we have replaced some CBUs without questions asked in the past to prevent disruption ofmail service to our customers due to an insecure or broken CBU, the responsibility to provide amailbox has always been with the customer or the HOA representing the customer, unless there was a written Mode of Delivery Agreement made with the US Postal Service, which states that the Postal Service is responsible for maintenance of the CBUs in your area and you can provide such documentation. If so, we will certainly honor such an agreement. The USPS will then repair or replace the damaged unit costs with installation remaining the responsibility of HOA. Arrangement for purchase or repair would be coordinated by contacting the Postmaster at your local Post Office servicing the customers at this HOA.

If there is no such agreement on hand, the HOA has the option to replace a CBU box to continue to provide mail delivery service to the customer by purchasing your preferred USPS approved CBU directly from a USPS approved manufacturer (current list available by following this link: https://about.usps.com/what-we-are-doing/current-initiatives/delivery-growth-management/welcome.htm) and self-install, while coordinating with the local Post Office.

A USPS employee would have to be present and make sure there isn’t any mail left in the mailbox and the secure arrow lock is returned to the US Postal Service, when un-installing the old CBU. Please note, the HOA would also have to dispose of or recycle the old CBU after removing the lock, when you choose this option. This option is oftentimes the quicker solution, as we are currently having a long list of replacement requests due to many aging CBUs, break-ins and new construction.

Please be advised, that a change of delivery mode to curbside box delivery will not be approved as per our national requirements, centralized delivery per CBU is the most efficient and approved mode of mail delivery and has already been established in your community. Curbside mailboxes are also even more susceptible to mail theft and an easier target.

An additional benefit is that the newer CBUs are much more secure and harder to break-in and will also improve the appearance of your neighborhood.

Please contact co-wydistrictgrowth@usps.gov to discuss repair and a timeframe to resume

delivery to this community. Thank you for the opportunity to address this matter with you.

Sincerely,

Colorado|Wyoming Consumer Affairs Office

United States Postal Services

7500 E 53RD Place Rm 2214

Denver CO 80266-9631

1-800-275-8777