Scores of mailboxes take a beating from snowplows

Most jurisdictions say they'll replace mailboxes destroyed by snowplows.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
Heavy snowfall makes a mess of streets and driveways, and when plow trucks push it to the side it can also make a mess of free-standing mailboxes.
County engineers' offices in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties report more than 130 fallen mailboxes in recent days of heavy plowing. All three counties offer to repair or replace mailboxes knocked over by plows.
Bill Gibson, Mahoning County engineer's administrative specialist, said the county has had 82 boxes reported knocked over. He said more boxes are likely to be reported damaged in the coming days.
Reports "will come in for days yet. The snow is heavy and the plows are heavy -- so when the snow hits those boxes it tears them apart," he said.
Gibson said the boxes are usually repaired in a matter of days. Should a box need to be replaced, he said, it is with a basic mailbox approved by the U.S. Postal Service.
In Austintown, Trustee David Ditzler said that there haven't been any more calls than usual about downed mailboxes and that the township fixes the boxes it is responsible for knocking down.
He said he noticed there were a lot of boxes down on New Road, which Mahoning County plows. He said the weight of the snow is also knocking them over.
Other communities
In Canfield Township, officials said most of the complaints should likely be directed at the county, which plows many of the main roads. The township replaces boxes when its plows knock them down.
In Canfield, city manager Charles Tieche said the same holds true there. He said there have been only two complaints of downed boxes.
Trumbull County will replace any mailboxes road crews inadvertently plowed over during the storm, highway supervisor Chris Connelly said.
Damaged and destroyed mailboxes are an inevitable part of cleaning up after a large storm, Connelly said. "With this multitude of snow, it's the price of battle," he said.
Crews will come out and replace the mailbox with a basic model costing just a few dollars, Connelly said. "Some people want more, but we don't want to waste taxpayers' money by putting up something that's going to get knocked over again."
Anyone needing a mailbox replaced should call the Trumbull County Engineer's office at (330) 675-2640.
Howland Township will also replace mailboxes at no cost. Anyone needing a mailbox replaced should call the Howland Street Department at (330) 856-4037.
Bob Durbin, Columbiana County chief deputy engineer, said the county has received only one report of a downed mailbox. He said the county averages 20 to 25 mailbox repairs per year so there will likely be more mailbox reports made before the end of the season.