Dear Action Line,
The big boys at the Herald told me you are the one for this. The U.S. Post Office building was built in Durango in 1979, population 10,000. There used to also be two substations, one up at 32nd and one in the south mall. Well bye bye. The building is outdated and has no handicap auto doors and most of the time the doors are broken. Do we the taxpayers own it or rent? I’ve contacted the city and county and they say “not our building.” So go and see with your own eyes. We need a new post office. Maybe the fed will build a new one after we get the algae out of the reflective pool that cost $15 million. Good luck on this as it would be a great parking lot for the people of Durango and boost to the city.
Signed, U.S. MALE
Dear U.S. MALE,
I feel like you’re channeling Jerry Reed here, who wrote a song (that Elvis covered) with the same name as yours – it goes: “You better not mess with the U.S. Male, my friend. If the U.S. Male gets mad, he’s gonna do you in.” Good song, and good question!
Yeah, so those doors to the post office on Eighth Street have been broken for a while, with the right door propped open. I had heard, like you, that maybe the government only rented that building, but that’s not right – I went to the assessor’s office to see who owns it, and indeed the U.S. Postal Service is listed as the owner. I tried calling the local post master but after navigating the phone menu to reach a real person it just rang and rang. So I went down there, stood in line and talked to a helpful window clerk (while people who had actual stuff to mail and pick up stood patiently? behind me, listening), who took my name, Action Line title, phone number and description of the question and he assured me that someone would call me back. That was two weeks ago, no answer. So who knows when those doors will be fixed.
My fervent hope would be that the delay in fixing the doors has to do with getting an automatic door installed to assist those with disabilities, as until now people requiring assistance have had to rely on the kindness of strangers, which isn’t always available if you are checking a mailbox after hours. But again, no information about that seems to be forthcoming.
As for building a new post office and turning the current spot into a parking lot (or reflecting pool?) – again, there’s no indication that something like that might happen in the near future. As for where a new post office building could go, maybe the county could sell the Old Main Post Office back to the feds for a new one – I know it is still looking for a buyer.
Email questions and suggestions to [email protected] or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Today’s Fun Fact: The American with Disability Act of 1990 – surprise! – doesn’t apply to federal government buildings, including postal buildings. However, the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 does apply to federal buildings and does have standards for accessible doors but does not necessarily require automatic doors.