Westridge residents sign petition to keep mailboxes in place

Many residents of Westridge have signed a petition saying they like the new Westridge mailbox location and don’t want it moved.

As reported in the August 6th Valley Echo, the mailboxes were moved from their former location to their current location several months ago following complaints from some residents. But the new location also left some residents complaining, citing safety concerns.

In response, Westridge resident Rick Fiddis circulated a petition in support of the current spot and has collected the signatures of 35 homeowners in the area who favour the new location.

“It’s not a neighbourhood feud. It’s not personal. We just like our post office boxes where they are,” said Mr. Fiddis. “Our concern is that we talked with the district planner and he said the only other spot he can imagine the boxes being moved to is across the street from the Senior’s Hall (in a spot where there already are some mailboxes).”

Moving to that location wouldn’t make sense,  according to Mr. Fiddis, as it is a congested area traffic-wise, and is near two schools and a park, not to mention a distance from the Westridge neighbourhood.

“It’s totally away from us, which means most people would probably drive to them,” he said. “It would be a waste of taxpayers’ money. There’s no logical other place to move them (the mailboxes) that would serve the community well. They’re serving the community quite well where they are now.”

Westridge is home to many seniors and placing the mailboxes further away in an area with heavier traffic is not only inconvenient for them, but potentially makes getting the mail riskier for them, he said.

Mr. Fiddis collected the homeowners’ signatures for the petition in about one hour on Sunday, October 19th. He went to 36 homes to get the 35 signatures and said that everybody he talked to was supportive of keeping the mailboxes where they are, with one exception, saying she wanted more time to think about it. The petition was sent to Canada Post, with the District of Invermere and Kootenay Columbia MP David Wilks copied.

The petition states the vast majority of affected residents want to keep the current mailbox location, posits the signatures as evidence, and adds that more signatures can be collected if needed.