CB PO still waiting for completed info documents

Could help determine who gets a free box

By Mark Reaman 

While it hasn’t been easy to get a concise and clear explanation for the information forms people recently found in their Crested Butte post office boxes, the reasoning appears to be two-fold. The responses might eventually help determine who qualifies for a free P.O. box, and they also help make sure the right people are getting the right mail in the right box.

“In recent months, we have been attempting to verify customer addresses with the PO Box holder to ensure compliance with the security of the mail and to assist our ongoing efforts to evaluate various criteria for Crested Butte post office box holders who may qualify for Group E (Free) PO Boxes,” explained James Boxrud, Strategic Communications officer for the U.S. Post Office out of Denver. “A PS Form 1093 (the post office box rental form) must always be current. As soon as any information changes such as your street address, telephone number, or email address, the box holder is responsible for updating the information.”

Boxrud said that between the main post office location on Elk Avenue and the post office annex near Clark’s Market, there are approximately 3,400 post office boxes in Crested Butte. He said that as of mid-April, about 10% of completed PS Form 1093s had been returned from boxholders.

“We are asking for customers to fill out the PS Form 1093s as part of our ongoing effort to evaluate various criteria for Crested Butte post office box holders that take into account local laws, physical barriers, access to rural delivery etc. and reviewing who is eligible for Group E (Free) no fee post office boxes in the future,” he reiterated.

Boxrud couldn’t expand further on the reasoning or consequences of not returning the forms. “We are asking customers to update this form for our records and the sooner we receive these completed forms the sooner we can finish our evaluation. The only way for USPS to determine individual eligibility (for free boxes) is for the customer to complete the PS Form 1093,” he said.

He could not provide a deadline for returning the forms or an approximate decision date or process involved in determining who might be eligible for a free post office box.

Boxrud said that the April 20 Job Fair for the CB PO was not well attended so there will be another one in the future.