Denver — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet led Senator John Hickenlooper and Representatives Jeff Hurd and Joe Neguse in sending a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner and U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors Chair Amber McReynolds to highlight opportunities for the USPS to partner with Colorado’s mountain towns to address facility constraints and staffing shortages.
“Colorado’s mountain communities have shared their solutions to improve service, reduce USPS costs, and address critical community needs. They are ready to help identify suitable parcels and buildings for USPS facilities, provide accurate timelines and cost estimates for facility improvements, and collaborate on resolving the staffing shortages common in these areas,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter follows a January meeting between Bennet, Congressional lawmakers, Postmaster General Steiner, Board Chair McReynolds, and Colorado’s mountain towns, where Colorado lawmakers highlighted several opportunities for USPS to partner with local municipalities on mutually beneficial solutions. These opportunities include redeveloping existing USPS facilities in partnership with community partners, creating workforce housing to combat recruitment and retention challenges in Colorado’s high cost-of-living communities, and providing space in its municipal buildings to address PO box shortages, among others.
“We are encouraged by January’s productive conversation with you and feel hopeful that it marks the beginning of improved communication. The localities of Colorado’s Western Slope have experienced many difficulties, from unexpected facility closures and long wait times to substandard service and unreliable mail access. We appreciate your continued work with these communities to ensure lease continuity and reliable service and delivery. We also understand that staffing and facility upgrades are more challenging problems that will require creative solutions, especially in our high-cost mountain towns. We are also hopeful the USPS will continue to work with these communities as well as those towns in Colorado with unresolved lease issues, such as the Town of Poncha Springs,” continued the lawmakers.
“Colorado’s mountain communities were glad to hear you request their help in identifying collaborative solutions. We are grateful for your willingness to partner on many existing local opportunities and hope this list is a useful starting point. We urge the USPS to move quickly to engage with these communities. We look forward to the continued partnership to improve the experience of USPS customers throughout Colorado,” concluded the lawmakers.
The conversation with local municipalities followed Bennet’s invitation to Postmaster General Steiner to visit Colorado to understand the longstanding difficulties Colorado’s mountain communities experience with mail delivery. Bennet has championed efforts to improve postal service to Colorado’s mountain communities, including calling for changes following a 2023 Office of Inspector General report that found staffing shortages, delivery delays, and inefficient mail sorting. In 2024, Bennet called on USPS to refund PO Box fees for Steamboat Springs residents, and in 2025, Bennet helped the Town of Crested Butte secure a lease extension for its post office, which faced imminent closure.
The text of the letter is available HERE
Add your first comment to this post