Some Decatur Island residents have been expressing concern over changes that have been made to their mail system put in place by the Decatur Shores Community Association.
Decatur is not served by the state ferry system. The first post office was established in 1891 and remained until 1969. Since then a one-drop postal system in a small shed was instituted and mail was delivered by boat and plane via a contracted employee, not a postal service worker. Now, items are no longer delivered to the island free of charge. Instead, an annual fee has been instituted. Otherwise, packages and letters are kept at the post office in Anacortes.
Bruce Robertson, who handles communication for the DSCA, wrote in an email to Decatur residents, “DSCA has provided the facility for receiving mail and packages as a free service for many years. In the last few years, particularly with the dramatic increase in packages, it has become burdensome to the association, so while it continues to be committed to hosting the service, DSCA can no longer provide it at no cost.”
Robertson told the Journal, “Well, the thing is, it’s not our responsibility. What we were offering was facilities that we have and the use of the facilities and people that didn’t want to take up our offer, had a choice to figure out what they wanted to do.”
The choices that Robertson referred to were listed to Decatur residents in an email from Robertson on Oct. 2. The DSCA is asking residents who are non-DSCA members to pay an annual fee of $75 in order to use their mailboxes. Members of the DSCA are considered covered through their annual membership fee of $700.
If residents do not pay the fee, then they will have to gather their mail in Anacortes.
The mail shed is on DSCA’s property, leaving that entity in control of decisions regarding the structure. According to Susanne Paxman, director of the DSCA, this fee was put in place to pay for the cost of reconstructing a new mail shed due to not being able to keep up with the growing influx of mail and rising accounts of theft.
Prior to constructing the new mail shed, Paxman said there was a meeting held in 2017 consulting the community about these plans.
Robertson said he does not think there were meetings about the mail shed after 2017.
Annie Austin, a longtime weekend resident of Decatur, said the new set up does not accommodate the elderly population of Decatur. She said that if residents do not wish to pay the fee, then they may have a hard time receiving important mailed items such as prescriptions, as the trip to Anacortes is expensive and weather-dependent.
Decatur residents, members of the DSCA and USPS have continued to be at odds over the situation.
Anacortes Postmaster James Woody wrote in an email to a resident of Decatur that was shared with the Journal, “I have been unsuccessful in speaking with the San Juan Public Works Admin. He has not returned my calls or responded to my emails. The DSCA is putting the new policy into effect tomorrow 12/1. I was trying to resolve this issue prior to that date, but again I have been unsuccessful. I have not laid this issue to rest and will continue to work on it, however, I need the cooperation of San Juan County and the Public Works department to relocate the shed on county maintained property with road access that has no easement claimed by any association of Decatur Island.”
He also wrote that he receives around 15 calls a day from concerned Decatur residents. Woody now has been working with a communication team to better direct responses.
In a letter to the Journal from Paxman, she stated that DSCA is considering placing an unprotected drop box for mail outside of the shed.
Woody suggested creating a post office near the schoolhouse, but plans have not yet come to life with that either.
“We have no intention of depriving residents of mail services, ever,” wrote Paxman in her letter.
