Mailbox Maintenance: Prepare Before the Winter Strikes

The Clinton County Road Commission has announced that October 19^th, 2013 is “Shake Your Mailbox Day.” If you are physically capable of shaking your mailbox, then it is highly likely that you need to look into maintenance, as Joe Pulver—the general manager of road commission—suggests. 

When a snowstorm hits, it can impact much more than just the streets and homes in the community. Your mailbox—as well as the entire community’s mailboxes—can take on a considerable amount of damage. When the snow falls, all of it piles up and pushes against your neighborhood’s cast aluminum mailboxes which can weaken its posts or hardware. 

It’s important to take the time to ensure that your community’s mailboxes are not in need of repairs before winter strikes. With a good amount of mailbox maintenance, you and your neighborhood can work together to prevent any future damage. Additionally, the neighborhood can guarantee any significant mail delivery without having to make any alternative delivery arrangements. 

There is no debate that your mailbox plays a crucial role for your home and your community. After all, a defective mailbox can become the eyesore of your neighborhood.  As a homeowner living in a nice location, keeping your property well-maintained is one of your responsibilities (and your neighbor’s, too).

Mailboxes need to comply with both road commission and US Postal Service rules and requirements, which is another reason to shake your mailbox on October 19^th or to thoroughly inspect it.  

If there are any damages whatsoever to your mailbox—or perhaps you might notice an issue in a neighbor’s mailbox—you should look into contacting your state’s road commission. Mailbox replacement policies vary, so it is best to consult a professional first. You could contact your local post office for additional assistance.

As for the hotter areas of the world, such as Tampa, Florida, snow doesn’t really appear often and doesn’t have quite the effect that another state would. However, Tampa cast aluminum mailboxes still require maintenance in order to ensure that it is accurately settled and ready to receive mail. 

Remember, your home is your sanctuary, so taking proper care of all aspects of it is crucial. Keep your mailboxes free from harm this winter by having it inspected or by contacting your post office beforehand. It will make a substantial difference this winter.

Decorative Mailboxes: Two Tales of Mailbox Theft and Vandalism

Watch out…your mailbox can be stolen or vandalized.

Decorative mailboxes are an absolutely crucial part of any home, business, or organization. Some decorative mailboxes have a strong history with the nearby community. Take the famous Van Dorn mailbox in front of the Yankee Pedlar Inn, for example. 

This Van Dorn mailbox model is one hundred years old. When these mailboxes were first installed in Torrington, Connecticut during 1911, many of the mailboxes were quickly uninstalled because they were considered to be unattractive. However, some of these mailboxes remained. 

At the Yankee Pedlar Inn, the mailbox was removed from the sidewalk. The owner of the inn, named Sanjay Patel, has been doing his best to retrieve the mailbox. He has spoken to people from the historical society for assistance. 

It is believed that this mailbox served as a reminder and characteristic of the downtown area.

Unfortunately, mailboxes can be vandalized. In Manalapan Township, New Jersey, a mailbox which was estimated to be worth two thousand dollars was spray painted with two lime green circles. The vandalism of this expensive mailbox must have occurred sometime on August 24^th or August 27^th, according to the owner. 

If you have noticed a recent outbreak in vandalized mailboxes in your neighborhood, it is important to call the authorities and to receive as much information as you can about the suspects. There are options you can take, such as lining your mailbox with cement so that it is smash-proof. You could use PVC piping as well. If repeated use of vandalism occurs, you can always resort to a video surveillance system which can assist you in tracking down the culprit. 

In both of the above cases, any of these ideas would have been helpful ways to prevent mailbox theft or vandalism from occurring. At the very least, the video surveillance would have helped both cases to discover either who stole the mailbox at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, or who spray-painted the two thousand dollar mailbox in Manalapan, New Jersey.

Custom Street Signs: Three Reasons to Invest

It would be quite difficult to live in a world without signs. Driving would be nearly impossible—in fact, almost all of us would have tickets for not following speed limits or other rules and regulations. Signs deliver us quite a bit of important information in our daily lives. For example, if you were driving over to a friend’s house but didn’t see a sign for their street or complex, you would most likely become lost so custom street signs have become essential and provide us with plenty of benefits. Here are a few reasons why you might want to consider investing in custom street signs for the future: 

1) They’re great for business.

If you have a business, you might be surprised by how well signs do in the world of marketing. Signs can introduce potential customers to your business, as well as help them to receive a clearer idea of what you sell, produce, or service. You can also use signs to inform others that you are hiring, which is a simple way to find new employees.

2) They make excellent guides.

Our world would be incomplete without the guidance of signs. Custom street signs provide us with the names of apartment complexes, businesses, neighborhoods, and shopping centers. The next time you go out for a random drive, remember how helpful your street signs are in directing you from one place to another. 

3) They regulate traffic.

The rules of the road are best known for the street signs that direct traffic. If it weren’t for these signs, traffic would not be as organized. In fact, driving would be a nightmare altogether. There would be a huge increase in accidents. Driving would most likely be impossible. Stop signs tell us when and where to stop, while detour signs assist us in finding a new route. 

Remember, never set up a street sign without your state’s approval. Recently, an artist in California named Stephen Whisler installed self-made street signs throughout the North Bay highway, which is a violation of the state’s code.

               

No more mailman at the door under U.S. Postal Service plan.

By Elvina Nawaguna
WASHINGTON, July 23 | Tue Jul 23, 2013

(Reuters) - Under a cost-saving plan by the U.S. Postal Service, millions of Americans accustomed to getting their mail delivered to their doors will have to trek to the curb and residents of new homes will use neighborhood mailbox clusters, the agency said Tuesday.

The Postal Service has been quietly phasing in the change with some aspects starting in April, and it has given no timeline for the shift. It's unclear if delivery to the door will be eliminated entirely.
"Converting delivery away from door delivery to either curb line or centralized delivery would enable the Postal Service to provide service to more customers in less time," Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Brennan said Tuesday.

More than 30 million American homes get door-to-door delivery and another 50 million get their mail dropped at their curbside mailboxes. But the Post Service, which is buckling under massive financial losses, sees savings in centralized mail delivery. Door-to-door delivery costs the Postal Service about $353 per address each year. Curbside delivery costs $224, and cluster boxes cost $160 per address. With cluster boxes, mailboxes for individual addresses are grouped together at a central neighborhood location.

Click here to view the entire Reuters story.

 

Wayfinding sign project featured in article shows the importance of
good wayfinding signs throughout a community.

Forsite recently completed phase one of the Mt. Washington, PA wayfinding project that consists of decorative signs pointing to local points of interest.  Phase II will begin later this fall.  

Article from triblive.com

Read complete article here.

On most summer afternoons, dozens of tourists seek out Mt. Washington to snap photos of Downtown. People gaze at the vista, capturing it on digital cameras or smartphones, then ride the Monongahela Incline down to Station Square, unaware that dozens of neighborhood shops are located within walking distance of the scenic overlooks.

“The tourists don't know where to go,” said Joe Young, 51, of Mt. Washington. The Mt. Washington Community Development Corp. is trying to increase business among the 1.5 million tourists who ride the Duquesne and Monongahela inclines every year. The nonprofit organization added signs to three storefronts on Shiloh Street and plans to start an iPhone app business directory in the fall. “They can find something easily — a library, a church or a place to go to lunch,” said Christina Howell, outreach coordinator for the CDC.

The Local Initiatives Support Corp. and Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development awarded the CDC a $25,000 grant, financed by PNC Bank, to promote local businesses.

The CDC will collect data on how many people go to Mt. Washington on weekends, giving store owners an idea of prime opportunities for sales. Another goal is to attract business owners, Howell said.

“Those neighborhoods can only be strong if their business districts are also strong,” said Anika Goss-Foster, vice president of sustainable communities for Local Initiatives' Midwestern and Pennsylvania region.

Vickie Pisowicz, owner of Grandview Bakery & Sweet Shop on Shiloh Street, hopes her purple cupcake sign boosts sales. The signs contain images — such as cutlery, a cupcake, a ring — so tourists who can't read English know what the shops offer.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/4414503-74/washington-signs-tourists#ixzz2aRWfzMhB
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Forsite provides you with the quality and value you’ve been looking for in your outdoor light fixtures.  From commercial grade to residential wall and post mount our light fixtures are rust free and maintenance free designs, that increase property values and bring a decorative, uniform appearance to both established and new communities.

Residential Lighting:
View our residential lighting products and browse a large selection of post mount, wall mount, chain mount and tri-light fixtures.  All our residential light fixtures are made of rust fee cast aluminum and have a durable powder coated base finish to provide you years beauty.  Unique antique finishes are available at no additional charge and provide an upscale look to your lighting.

Commercial Acorn and Sphere Globe Lighting:
Our commercial lighting section consists of high-quality post lights with a variety of globes and bases available.  We offer aluminum light posts in 3" and 4" outer diameter in either smooth or fluted designs.

Improve community safety with outdoor lighting.
Studies have shown that adding street lighting improves vehicular safety and dissuades potential criminals from lurking around neighborhoods and homes.

A strategic lighting plan along using high quality lighting will make your residents feel safer in their community.  Also, by using LED bulbs in your commercial light fixtures will help a community save money on bulb replacement.

LED is the greenest light source available because of their tremendous energy savings and the fact that they contain no hazardous materials, such as mercury.  LED bulbs last up to 50,000 hours which is twice as long as standard High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide bulbs.  View more information regarding LED lighting.