I’ve taken the time to write several letters to the U.S. Postal Service about our postal failures in Summit — an absolute waste of effort.

I’ve also had lengthy conversations with Dillon Postmaster Mike, area supervisor Cheryl, and have learned a bit about our situation. They are just as frustrated as all of us. Dillon is budgeted for 14 full-time employees, they have one. New hires immediately start working 70-hour weeks. Most quit. The Postal union won’t allow hiring part-time workers. The U.S. Postal Service won’t pay based on local living costs, same pay nationwide. Temporary workers are brought in from across Colorado and the U.S., at enormous expense, per-diem, lodging, transport — way more expensive than increasing wages instead. Just plain dumb.

There are mail-delivery contractors that refuse to meet the requirements of their contracts — and whose employees are causing strife amongst all employees. Every time a contractor refuses to deliver a package as required, it adds to the long lines of people now having to go to the post office to pick up those packages. For every minute that these contractors should spend doing their jobs, it costs locals hours and days.

This is not going to fix itself. Citizen complaints will have no effect. Our local leaders need to start putting extreme pressure on the U.S. Postal Service, by whatever means possible. We also need to find ways to attract workers to the Postal Service, a previously coveted job.

The Postal Service isn’t going to fix this. Our community has to act to find solutions.

Maybe a good start would be to stop digging the deep housing hole we are in, and start saying no to growth, which means saying no to further Vail Resorts expansions.