Post Office Installs New Mailbox Purchased by Residents

Menifee residents of Avenida de Cortez and Park Avenue had to do much of the work themselves, but in the end they got some help in their fight against mail theft.

Earlier this month, with the help of City Council member Greg August, residents in the Rustler Ranch development west of Interstate 215 organized a town hall meeting that included police, city and postal employees to discuss several incidents of mail theft in the neighborhood. At the time, officials acknowledged an ongoing problem with mail theft in Menifee and other cities, and pledged support.

Still, residents of that neighborhood had to pay out of their own pockets to replace the old community cluster mailbox, which has been vandalized several times. According to resident Larry Sichter (left), neighbors raised $1,200 to purchase a new, more secure cluster box. Menifee Postmaster Shane Seitz said it was the residents' responsibility to replace a box that was set up by the land developer.

Sticking to a promise he made to the residents in that Dec. 8 meeting, Seitz sent out a postal employee today to install the new box at no charge, saving the residents about $200, Sichter said. The new box was installed about half a block away on Avenida de Cortez in a more visible location.

The old box on Park Avenue will be removed on Monday, Seitz said.