HOUSTON – Some homeowners in Copperfield say neither their homeowner’s association nor the postal service will replace their mailboxes after a driver damaged them beyond repair last week.
Long-time Southcreek Village homeowner Rita Hoffman said the cluster box unit (CBU) that she shares with 10 other neighbors was destroyed last Monday.
“I understand that somebody just ran into the mailbox and took out the tree in front of it,” Hoffman said.
For a week, Hoffman said she and her neighbors have had to drive 10 minutes to the Bear Creek post office branch to pick up their mail.
“Well, I went to the post office and I asked them for a copy of the contract with the subdivision and they gave me the language,” she said. “The post office is responsible for the locks and the keys inside the device. They are not responsible for the device.”
Judith Carey, a representative for the Southcreek Village Homeowners Association, told KPRC2 over the phone that replacing the units will cost nearly $1,500 and should be worked out between the homeowners and USPS.
“The post office installed those boxes and over the past 30+ years they’ve been repairing and replacing them,” Carey said.
In a letter USPS sent Hoffman, the agency cited its rules and says residents of Southcreek Village or the HOA can purchase and install an approved CBU directly from a USPS-approved manufacturer.