[RP TownTalk] this is crazy (USPS zipcode/name

[gerardkiernan at earthlink.net]

Folks,

Let's stop sweating the small stuff.

Does your mail get delivered if it says Riverdale Park, MD on the town line of the address, instead of Riverdale?

If you live on Greenway or Spring (look at the Town map on the web site for their location), it does not. The United States Post Office, and I do mean the USPO, not its successor the USPS, in its infinite stupidity assigned these two streets within the town's boundaries to the Hyattsville Post Office when the ZIP code program was established in the 1960's.  It had to do with the carrier route that they were on.  If you live on one of those streets, you better have your mail addressed to Hyattsville, MD with the appropriate ZIP code or it will not be delivered.

The town's elected officials, and the town staff, from time to time over the past forty plus years, have contacted the Postal Service and our Congressional representatives all to no avail to have Spring and Greenway moved into 20737. The postal service seems to be intransigent on the matter.

All is not dim, though.  The federal databases that matter for sending us money (e.g., the Census Bureau and the Board for Geographic Names) know that RP exists and where it is located. Although the Census keeps giving us parts of unincorporated PG County and Edmonston, thus our inflated population number.

For you newbies out there, please remember to list "Riverdale Park" as the municipality on your Maryland State tax return.

Gerry Kiernan
Councilmember, Ward 5  

-----Original Message-----
>From: Alan Thompson and Sarah Wayland <twacks at his.com>
>Sent: Apr 6, 2007 9:54 AM
>To: Roland Walker <walker at pobox.com>
>Cc: TownTalk <towntalk at riverdale-park.org>
>Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] this is crazy (USPS zipcode/name "system")
>
>> After that, it is the job of the town's professional staff to
>> implement the policy and follow through.  The town staff should write
>> Hoyer, contact the post office, etc.
>
>Input from multiple sources (e.g., town residents as well as elected  
>officials) never hurt anything, and will likely serve to point out  
>that this is an issue important to voters. I think residents are not  
>likely to get traction talking directly to the post office, but  
>Congressman Hoyer can.
>
>
>-Sarah
>
>
>
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