OP Seeks Mailbox Help From Harris

OP Seeks Mailbox Help From Harris
A cluster of mailboxes is pictured at White Horse Park in Ocean Pines. Photo by Bethany Hooper

OCEAN PINES – Ocean Pines Association President Larry Perrone said the condition of mailbox clusters within the community has been brought to the attention of Congressman Andy Harris’s office.

In a recent meeting of the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors, Perrone announced issues with the mailboxes have been turned over to Harris’s staff.

“There’s been a lot of discussion in the community, and rightfully so, about the condition of the mailboxes …,” he said. “We submitted a constituent’s authorization form yesterday to Congressman Harris’ office. He has a staffer who will work directly with the United States Post Office and try to address the issues we have here.”

Perrone added the constituent form also included a spreadsheet of all cluster boxes in Ocean Pines, as well as photographs showing current conditions.

He noted that the post office, along with representatives of the public works department, would conduct a survey of the association’s mailboxes to create a plan for replacement or maintenance.

“At this point, this issue lies with Congressman Harris’s office,” he said, “and we’ll see what they can do for us.”

In recent years, the condition of the Ocean Pines mailboxes has been the subject of committee and board meetings, candidate forums and social media posts.

In the November meeting of the Ocean Pines Budget and Finance Committee, for example, General Manager John Viola noted it would cost the association between $150,000 to $180,000 per year to repair the mailboxes.

“That’s the ballpark we have right now,” he said.

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

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Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.