Brier Creek Growth Strains Postal Service

Thursday, September 14, 2006

(09/14/06 -- RALEIGH) (WTVD) -- A big boom in Brier Creek is setting off growing pains for some people who live there.

The population of the northwest Raleigh community has skyrocketed over the last year, and it is putting a strain on the post office.

Brenda Fox is helping to raise her grandson in Raleigh. She misses her husband in West Virginia, and loves to get mail from home. Fox says mail service in the Brier Creek area is sloppy. She says her calls to the U.S. Postal Service did not help.

"I talked to the supervisor and she was supposed to get back with me," Fox said. "She never got back with me."

Managers at three separate apartment complexes said the same. They have never heard so many tenants complain about missing mail.

"It's very frustrating for the resident. It's very frustrating for us to tell them, 'Sorry, I don't know where your package is,'" said property manager Courtney Duffy. "Some people are waiting on important documents from an employer or family member. Others are waiting on medication."

Letter carriers sort the mail at the Hilburn station, about six miles from Brier Creek. Mail volume has tripled in recent years as briar creek has grown. The postal service says it's keeping up with local growth. The area has a new ZIP code, but postal officials say that should not be enough to delay the mail.

Some confusion may come from new streets.

"There's a learning curve with every development," said Carl Walton of the U.S. Postal Service. "As they add addresses, that changes route configuration."

Residents suspect a parade of temporary carriers is not familiar with the names and numbers. The postal service says they have no trouble filling positions, but they also say they are always hiring. The postal service says it wants to know about customer complaints at 919-420-5148.

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