New $300 Mailbox Requirement Delivers Mixed Reviews

In May the Westchase Community Association Voting Members approved new mailboxes for The Shires neighborhood. With taxes, the mailboxes cost about $300 each. The new mailboxes must be purchased by Sept. 30. Residents who fail to comply could be charged $1,000.

On The Shires Facebook Community Page the new mailbox requirement has been met with agreement from many in the community.

"I've waited 9 years for a nice mailbox. I can wait another month!!!!" wrote Linda Coudriet Landsman on The Shires Facebook page.

But everyone isn't so excited about the new mailboxes, and fear the requirement could trickle into other Westchase communities.

Dana Felice, whose mother lives in The Shires, says she was recently asked - and refused to sign - a petition to add $300 mailboxes to Bennington, where she lives.

"It's amazing that during these times, with the economic climate the way it is people would be asked to make such an expensive purchase," Felice said.

Westchase Community Association Voting Member Patrick Knight, who has since moved, sparked the new mailbox measure earlier this year. The more than 20-member board, comprised of representatives from all the Westchase neighborhoods, had to approve the issue before it could be mandated.

As a part of the process, the neighborhood was surveyed. Out of 235 homes in The Shires, 126 voted "Yes", while 41 voted "No," according to survey results published on The Shires' Facebook page.

Of the WCA Voting Members, 22 attending members votied in favor of the new mailbox.

So what do you think? Should residents be required to purchase a $300 mailbox? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.