Adamstown Borough looks for answers after P.O. box fees more than double [Lancaster Watchdog]

Steven Ilgenfritz estimates he has paid about $1,800 for his post office box in Adamstown Borough over the last 25 years.

He thought it was odd that every resident was assigned a post office box because he had never lived anywhere where it was necessary to have a P.O. box to receive mail. But because his Main Street home was not eligible for at-home mail delivery – like the vast majority of homes in Adamstown – Ilgenfritz got with the program and paid up.

But now, Ilgenfritz is again reconsidering how he gets mail after a sign was posted at the Adamstown post office last week alerting residents their P.O. boxes will now cost more than double what they already pay.

To Ilgenfritz, the new policy is “extortion.”

According to the signs, the Postal Service now considers the Adamstown post office a competitive location,” which includes “premium” P.O. box rates that can receive deliveries from FedEx, UPS and Amazon. People who once paid $62 per year for their boxes now have to pay $166.

“None of us asked for premium service … for a service that we’re forced to get,” Ilgenfritz said.

This sounds like Groundhog Day all over again. The Watchdog has seen something like this before, but in West Earl Township. In September, Brownstown residents, who cannot receive mail at home, raised concerns about their P.O. box fees when they realized the Postal Service was charging people different rates for the same size box.

Some West Earl Township residents are paying for P.O. boxes that should be free [Lancaster Watchdog]

It took Phil Boyer about two weeks to realize he needed to sign up for a post office box aft…

It should be noted here that it is the policy of the Postal Service to offer free P.O. boxes to anyone who is not eligible for at-home mail delivery. So, as with some Brownstown residents, Adamstown residents who can’t get their mail at home should not be charged for a post office box.

The Adamstown community is looking for answers, but they haven’t heard anything from the Postal Service. Residents said they were not made aware of the changes until a week ago, just after the premium rates were implemented Jan. 22.

The switch has prompted local elected officials to turn to their federal representatives for help. Adamstown Borough President Randy Good said the borough has been in touch with Rep. Lloyd Smucker and Sen. Bob Casey, who have launched their own inquiries into the issue.

It could be the best way for Adamstown to get through to the USPS.

“They don’t seem to want to listen to anybody,” Good said.

Targeting the little guys

The Postal Service selected 291 post offices throughout the country to bump up to premium services. Adamstown and Maytown, in East Donegal Township, are the only two Lancaster County offices on the list, and are among only 11 in the state.

Mark Lawrence, strategic communications specialist for the Postal Service covering central and western Pennsylvania, said the locations were selected to become more competitive in the region.

“As a general matter, the Postal Services offers competitive Post Office Box service to customers who are located within eight miles of a current or recent competitive mailbox service provider,” Lawrence said via email.

Lawrence did not respond to questions about what “competitive mailbox service providers” are, but Good believes it may be the Spring Towne Center UPS store that’s about seven miles from the Adamstown Post Office. In Maytown, the closest UPS store is seven miles away in the Mount Joy Square shopping center. Jeffrey Butler, the East Donegal Township manager, did not respond to a request for comment.

Good wonders whether the move is a first step toward closing the Adamstown post office and similar locations in small communities. The Reinholds post office in nearby West Cocalico Township was forced to cut its hours to just four every day after the Postal Service sought to close that location, Good said. He worries that may be the future for the Adamstown office.

New York and Pennsylvania have the most post offices per state in the U.S., with New York ringing in at 1,858 offices and Pennsylvania at 1,805. Good said the Postal Service might be planning to eliminate smaller post offices in these states as a cost-saving measure.

In 2021, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced a 10-year initiative for financial stability called Delivering for America, which would include more aggressive changes to its pricing structure.

Roughly 58% of the post offices bumped up to a competitive status are in communities of less than 5,000 people. Some populations even fall as low as 369 people. New York has 13 offices that have moved over to premium P.O. box services, and Pennsylvania has 11. North Carolina, which has a smaller population than both states and 862 post offices, now has 29 post offices at a competitive status – the most of any state on the list.

Lawrence did not respond to questions about whether the decision is a part of the Delivering for America initiative or a part of bigger plans to get rid of smaller post offices.

Waiting for a change

For now, Adamstown residents — as well as the borough, which has its own P.O. box — will just have to wait until their annual box payment is due. Ilgenfritz said his next bill does not come until July, and he hopes something will happen at a national level before then.

Wendy Kershner said she’s considering moving to at-home mail delivery for the first time in over 30 years. Kershner is one of a select group of borough residents who have that option: Only homes on the south side of Willow Street, where she lives, are eligible for home delivery.

She’s put off making the switch because she already juggles multiple addresses. Kershner has a standard street address, one for her P.O. box, and a third for UPS, FedEx and Amazon packages. If she changes her mail delivery service, Kershner will have to keep track of another address.

It’s an inconvenience, but Kershner said she just can’t afford the $126 annual increase. She acknowledged most people, like Ilgenfritz, don’t have any other option.

“How exactly does USPS expect people to get their mail?” Kershner said.

East Donegal Township supervisor Scott Kingsboro said, as of the beginning of the year, the Maytown post office has stopped charging P.O. box fees to residents who are not eligible for home delivery. Only residents who seek out premium mailboxes will be affected by the price jump.

A spokesperson for Sen. Casey said he has received complaints about the Postal Service for years, but could not offer much in the way of comment on this specific situation.

“Senator Casey has received constituent outreach from the Adamstown Borough community and has initiated a Congressional inquiry with USPS to seek clarification on the issue and relay constituent concerns,” the spokesperson said via email. “Senator Casey has been receiving constituent complaints from across the Commonwealth, including Lancaster County, about issues with the mail dating back to the Trump Administration. He has advocated on behalf of Pennsylvania communities to Postmaster DeJoy and the USPS Inspector General to resolve delays and staffing issues, and is working with USPS and local communities to ensure reliable, equitable mail service for all Pennsylvanians.”

Smucker did not respond to a request for comment.

Lawrence said the USPS is “evaluating the situation in Adamstown.”