MELISSA, Texas — For two years, parcels and packages bound for Melissa in Collin County have sat outside the booming town’s lone post office.
At times, mail is not secured or shielded from the weather. Postal workers sort some deliveries under a tent, where temperatures Wednesday exceeded 101 degrees.
Residents don’t blame their local U.S. Postal Service employees. Instead, they say they fear for their safety.
“I wouldn’t want to work in conditions like that,” said Shannon Sweat, among the residents pushing for change. “It’s all kinds of wrong.”
Melissa is among the fastest-growing cities in North Texas. The city’s population increased from about 5,000 to more than 23,000 in the last decade.
Each new resident represents a new mailbox.
“We’ve outgrown this post office,” Sweat said. “The building has not kept up with the growth we experienced.”
Previously, the post office stored and sorted overflow mail in the outdoor tent during only the Christmas season. But that seasonal solution has remained staked into the ground for two years, Sweat said.
Sweat said her mail still arrives on time, praising the postal workers for their efficiency and attitude. But she acknowledged there will be delays if the town continues to grow and its post office does not.
The U.S. Postal Service planned to begin expanding the facility in August 2023, but work has not begun.
“Due to the cost of the expansion project, other alternatives are being reviewed and evaluated,” a postal service district manager wrote in a May letter to U.S. Rep. Keith Self.
In the same memo, the manager said the postal service is considering parking air-conditioned trailers behind the office until it can expand the facility.
“That was May, and it’s August now,” Self, who represents Melissa, told WFAA. “Over those months, we’ve seen no progress here. It’s time for us to take this up a notch and protect our employees here and protect our citizens’ mail.”
The congressman said he’s shared photos and videos of mail in the office’s parking lot with the postmaster general.
“I saw racks of letters and bills sitting out in the open. I saw packages just thrown into a cart,” Self said. “Rain would totally destroy the mail, so there are several issues to be settled here.”
Melissa is not alone. Pallets of mail sit outside Forney’s post office, too. But workers are currently expanding the Forney outpost. Its employees collect, sort, and store mail inside air-conditioned trailers.
Self said he will push the postmaster general to set up a trailer outside the Melissa office as he lobbies for the expansion of the brick-and-mortar facility.
“They keep raising the cost of postage, and yet they won’t take care of a problem like this that’s in an extreme state,” Self continued.
Sweat hopes the trailer does not become a “crutch” that allows the U.S. Postal Service to further delay construction.
“Get the new building done,” she said. “Just get it done.”
The U.S. Postal Service issued the following statement:
"As an important part of the communities we serve around the nation, including in Melissa, TX, the U.S. Postal Service strives every day to provide excellent service. Like many other parts of the North Texas region, Melissa has experienced rapid population growth during the last several years. We are continuously working to evaluate the needs of the community and making plans to determine how best to ensure efficient and timely postal services. In Melissa, the Postal Service is pursuing a permanent solution to account for the growth in the area, including adding delivery routes, which were recently expanded at the Melissa Post Office. In addition, temporary measures have been put in place with use of a tent on the exterior of the building. As for employees at this facility who work outdoors, their safety is a top priority. The U.S. Postal Service has implemented a national Heat Illness Prevention Program (HIPP) for all employees. In connection with the HIPP, the Postal Service provides mandatory heat-related and other safety training and instruction to all employees and assures they have the resources needed to do their jobs safely. Employees are reminded to ensure they’re hydrated, wear appropriate clothing, including hats, get in the shade whenever possible, and local management is ensuring adequate supplies of ice and water are available to employees working at the Melissa Post Office. Additional temporary measures are in the process of being implemented and we are working as quickly as possible to secure this added support. We continue to communicate with all stakeholders on the status of our operations and the solutions toward which we are steadily working. The Postal Service appreciates the patience of our customers and the hard work and commitment of our employees as we continue to provide the highest quality service to the Melissa community."