Published: September 21, 2006 11:37 pm      

Residents fight to have postal service restored

MUNDYS CORNER — Jackson Township supervisors have appealed to U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, to intervene with the postal service so 115 families living at a mobile-home park can receive mail near their homes.

Supervisors said they also are prepared to take legal action against Leisure Village’s owner, Robert McKool, for refusing to cooperate with local and federal officials.

Residents were notified Wednesday by the U.S. Postal Service that they must drive to downtown Johnstown – 25 miles round-trip – to retrieve their mail.

The post office has halted delivery to the community’s “mail house” after McKool refused to repair the damaged cinderblock facility after it was extensively damaged as a result of a car crash a month ago.

“Mr. McKool had 10 days to repair the building or make other provisions so we could continue delivering mail,” said Steve Kochersperger, spokesman for the postal service’s Erie District.

He said the facility is not safe for postal workers or customers, so mail will not be delivered until the facility is repaired.

“We didn’t think this was going to be a long-term situation. Usually these things are taken care of immediately,” Kochersperger said. “It seems like (McKool) is stalling.”

For years, mail has been delivered to a small, cinderblock building near the entrance to the park. Each household has a key to the building and to an individual mailbox.

“When delivery was established at Leisure Village, there was an agreement with the owner to give us access to a centralized delivery to sort mail at one single place and one stop,” Kochersperger said.

“Curbside delivery or on-foot delivery is much more expensive and is not in our agreement with Leisure Village.”

Brad Clemenson, a spokesman for Murtha, said the congressman is asking the postal service to make an exception.

“We’ve written to the postal service, asking the mail be delivered directly to each trailer until this situation is resolved,” Clemenson said. “Hopefully, they will answer affirmatively, but that remains to be seen.”

Michael Sahlaney, McKool’s attorney, said the landlord’s attempts to secure a mason have been unsuccessful.

“He has contacted a number of masons, and we are apparently at the busy season,” Sahlaney said.

Sahlaney said McKool offered to buy and install individual mail boxes for residents, but the postal service refused.

“We understand the postal service’s position, and we understand the residents are upset,” Sahlaney said. “He is trying to get a quote that is suitable to the insurance company and date that is suitable for a contractor.”

Supervisor Bruce Baker said conversations with McKool have left the issue unresolved. “(Mc-Kool) told me that the contractors are too busy to fix this, and it could be up to a year,” he said. “I told him we’re not waiting a month.”

Baker said the damaged building violates the township’s zoning ordinance, and the township is seeking a legal opinion from Solicitor Bill Barbin of Johnstown.

“If there’s something we can do to force (McKool) to fix the building, we’ll do it,” Baker said. “This repair is only a few hundred dollars’ worth of work.”

Robert Dawson, who has lived at Leisure Village for five years, said the absence of mail delivery is a hardship. He pays $155 for lot rent.

“I’m disabled, and there are a lot of disabled and elderly living here,” Dawson said. “My wife works during the day and can’t get to Johnstown when the post office is open.”

Dawson added the cost of driving to Johnstown is an added hardship.

Kochersperger explained that the mail must remain in Johnstown, rather than Nanty Glo, because the park’s address is a Johnstown ZIP code.

“It’s not convenient for us, either,” Kochersperger said.