Let’s touch on a topic that has been on most everyone’s mind lately, especially in light of the major winter storm Mother Nature dumped on us Jan. 4 through Jan. 5. That topic is mail delivery. Or lack thereof.
To be fair, let’s start with one piece of good news in the postal department. I have a buddy who relocates to Florida for the months December through March, then comes back to Platte City in April. We mail The Landmark to his Florida address for the winter months. The amazing thing is the Jan. 8 edition arrived to his beachy spot at lightning speed. We mailed his paper, along with all other subscribers, via periodicals class mail on Wednesday, Jan. 8. But keep in mind the post office and all its mail moving services were closed on Jan. 9 due to the national day of mourning for the memorial service of former President Jimmy Carter. Still, the post office somehow got my buddy’s Landmark from Platte City to Florida in what has to be record time. It reached him on Monday, Jan. 13. In other words, delivery came on the third postal service business day from the time of mailing. That’s impressive. By post office standards, that’s faster than the speed of light. Heck, there are weeks some delivery addresses in Platte County don’t get it that fast.
While The Landmark’s good luck with a Florida reader is a bright side, there’s an uglier side to mail service since that snowstorm. On Jan. 17, Congressman Sam Graves wrote to his constituents about it. In fact you might say he went on a rant about it, and I’m here for it. Let it rip, Sam.
“I’m still getting calls today from folks who haven’t gotten their mail. USPS says they couldn’t get their trucks out of the Kansas City and St. Louis processing centers for a few days. I get it. There were some definite delays in clearing some roads. No one should put their life in jeopardy if it’s not necessary. However, we’re at least 10 days out now. The roads have improved. It’s time to get the mail delivered. It’s up to management to make sure the mail gets out of the processing center and to the post offices,” Graves wrote.
“That seems to be the issue–management. We all know that weather delays are just the latest issue with the Postal Service. It just adds insult to injury. Bills aren’t showing up on time, prescriptions are getting lost, and packages take a meandering route around the country before showing up somewhere down the line. It’s infuriating. Add the boneheaded idea to further reduce rural service, and you have a recipe for disaster,” the congressman said.
“On top of that, local entities depend on getting bills paid on time to survive. If the bill doesn’t show up, it’s real hard to pay it. Terrible mail service affects everybody and it costs real money,” Graves added.
There was more to the rant, but you get the picture.
On top of the weather delays, it’s worth pointing out that in the first 14 weekdays of January, the post office had already been shut down for three holidays: New Year’s Day, the day for Carter’s funeral, and Martin Luther King Day.
So if it seems like the mail is standing still it’s probably because the mail is standing still.
Speaking of potholes, it’s that time of year. Some large ones are popping up and more are on the way, no doubt.
I do have a public service announcement for any of you who drive I-29 just north of Platte City. If you’re getting onto I-29 northbound from the Main Street (HH) on-ramp, hold on to the wheel. Better yet, be prepared to use quick driving maneuvers to try to avoid some crater-sized potholes. I mean these things are potentially car-damaging stuff. Unless MoDOT has been out to fix them since I last drove this stretch on Jan. 15, most of the doozies are in the right hand lane, so get over to the left lane as soon as you safely can. I’ve also been told there are some monster sized potholes southbound I-29 just south of Tracy, in the area of the interstate that was closed for the longest time for “bridge repair” at the twin bridges.
You’ve been warned. Be safe out there. Godspeed.
I was in several cities and towns in the days following the Jan. 5 snowstorm. You know which spot did the worst job clearing snow from its downtown streets and pedestrian areas? The City of St. Joseph wins the award. Downtown St. Joe was still a mess a week after the storm. Piles of snow hindering visibility and blocking sight lines at intersections, foot-deep snow still sitting on downtown sidewalks leaving pedestrians no choice but to walk in the street to reach their destination. Not good.
What is good in Downtown St. Joseph is the new InspireU Children’s Discovery Center. If you have young kids or grandkids this is a great day trip activity. Our grandkids could spend hours at this place, in fact they already have. Here’s how the InspireU website describes itself: “The InspireU Children’s Discovery Center will engage children with hands-on learning experiences that spark imagination and curiosity, enhance creativity, develop problem-solving skills and teach the basics of health and wellness.”
It’s really an impressive place. There are a seemingly endless number of interactive exhibits and experiences. The center has two floors of activity areas, as well as a mezzanine section and a rooftop experience.
The second floor was where our grandkids spent a majority of their time. It’s themed like a tiny town, with a café where kids can make pretend food in the café or through the take-out window, a grocery store in which kids pick out their items and then get the thrill of running them through a self-checkout scanner, there are farm and barn exhibits, a veterinary office where kids can put on the veterinarian’s jacket and run an MRI on fake animals and whatnot, there’s a miniature 18-wheeler where kids can operate a lift in carrying out the pretend act of changing the oil, a miniature ambulance that needs a driver and a paramedic, there’s a television studio where kids can run the camera, learn about the green screen and practice speaking skills. And much more, as they say.
All kinds of learning possibilities and entertainment. Nice addition for Downtown St. Joe. You’ll find it at 521 Felix St.
(Be a member of the pothole patrol by emailing Foley at ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)
