Though it may have been the most debated topic, the price tag to build a new mail house on the Westside wasn’t the only topic raised at a Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA] Town Hall held on Monday, September 19. The meeting, hosted by the Long Range Planning Committee, was held to discuss the specifics of building a new mailhouse near West Side Park Community Center [WSPCC] and to allow Westsiders to offer input on the proposal.
With over forty people in attendance, SLWLA Treasurer Don Freiert moderated the meeting, which covered topics including cost, construction, and mail delivery options.
Cost
The first comment of the night came from Westsider Bernadette York, who asked whether Association dues would increase in order to finance building the $310,000 mailhouse. Freiert told the Times that the Association has been building up a Capital Reserve Fund that could be used to finance construction of the facility. By using the reserve fund, dues would not have to increase to pay for the project.
During Monday night’s meeting, Freiert stressed that the $310,000 estimated to build the mailhouse is just that -- an estimate. “Everyone is focused on a projected cost,” said Freiert, noting that the numbers are “high level” estimates.
Once a traffic and engineering analysis identifies the best possible location for the mailhouse, then the project can be designed, bid, and the cost nailed down. The current cost estimates are based on broad outlines; the facility has not yet been designed.
“We do have very good options out there,” Freiert said. “They just need to be evaluated.”
Regardless of the cost, Westsider Ruth Caldara asked that the money be kept within the community as much as possible when bidding out the work for the mail house, in an effort to “generate some of our own money and jobs.”
Freiert replied that the project is not yet at the bid stage, but noted that he has already been approached by contractors who live in the community and are interested in bidding on the job.
Construction
The SLWLA intends to “evaluate several alternatives” when it comes to mail house construction and is planning to share that information with the community before a final decision is made, Freiert said. What is certain is that the mail house will be placed somewhere near the Community Center.
However, the new mailhouse will need to meet the more "stringent" standards the United States Postal Service has developed since the existing mailhouse was built some thirty years ago. Those changes will also better accommodate residents.
The new mailhouse is expected to be 1800 square feet, to accommodate mail boxes that are large enough to hold larger packages and to make sure no mail box is either too high or too low to reach easily. The extra space will also accommodate additional boxes for future growth of the community.
Delivery Options
Another topic that fueled conversation in Monday's meeting was the idea of changing Westside mailing addresses to reflect street addresses rather than box numbers linked to lot numbers. The USPS has yet to decide whether this option will be offered to Westsiders. Most of those in attendance on Monday seemed to agree that changing one’s address would be more of a hassle then a benefit.
“Until we hear from the Postal Service, it is a non-issue,” Freiert said, adding, “Depending on what they say, there may not be a change to be made.”
On another front relating to physical addresses on the Westside, Community Manager Joan Frost reported that Moore County recently changed forty-six street addresses in Seven Lakes [a list can be found on the County website], and new, updated street signs will be installed on the West Side in the next sixty days.
Next steps
Although the question of cost dominated Monday's Town Hall discussion, Westsider Betsy Mikula presented an archived newsletter written in 2006 by a former SLWLA President that stressed the importance of building a new mailhouse.
Once the mailhouse issue has been decided, Mikula said, “I would like to see it done within a year.”
Those who attended the Town Hall were given a handout that answered many questions about the mailhouse issue, from why it needed to be relocated to estimated costs. This handout will be available on the SLWLA website.
The next step is for the Board of Directors to review all feedback from the community and to make a final vote during their October 11 meeting. The Association is contractually obligated to remove the current guardhouse by 2015, and the current entries master plan envisions locating the new entrance gate near the current mailhouse.
