Ruby Ranch Official Mailbox Update
As you can see from Carl Oppedahl’s email sent out on 6/11/24 (THANKS, Carl!), the new pedestals with individual mailboxes have been installed and keyed at the Ruby Ranch barn – and they are working! (The Post Office route carrier is responsible for labeling the INSIDE of the boxes with the street address and names – if you have any issues with this, please contact the Dillon Post Office.)
Okay, now there is a lot of information contained in the following text. Please read it carefully as none of it is very intuitive:
1. The carrier that delivers mail to street addresses (including delivery of mail to the new Ruby Ranch mailboxes) dispatches from the Dillon Post Office. The Ruby Ranch mailboxes are no longer associated with the Silverthorne Post Office, even though it is our city and zip code. All inquiries, issues and packages are routed through the Dillon Post Office – the Silverthorne Post Office will refer you to the Dillon Post Office as they cannot help you. No, I do NOT know why this is!
2. The attached list indicates your new box number which is related to your existing physical street address in the Ranch. (Note: For the purpose of establishing the numbering of our mailboxes, all the post office cares about is the box numbers and addresses - NOT the addressees.)
3. Everyone will have to fill out their own "Rural Customer Delivery" form (# 4232) which is available online, at the P.O. and in our Ranch mailroom (we will leave a stack of forms in there on top of the pedestal on the right side of the room as you enter). The purpose of this form is to activate your new mailbox number at the Ranch barn.
Your new street address delivery box at the barn should already be active. There may already be mail in your box at the barn. You need to fill out a "Rural Customer Delivery" form (# 4232) which is available online, at a Post Office and in our Ranch mailroom (we will leave a stack of forms in there on top of the pedestal on the right side of the room as you enter). This form:
· It lets the carrier know the names of people who will be receiving mail at your barn mailbox, and
· It also lets the carrier know what to do with any parcel that might not fit into your barn mailbox.
Also attached, is a sample form that has been verified by the postmaster as “correct” (the sample is for my address and box # - change that information on the form you fill out for yourself). This form needs to be physically handed in at Dillon Post Office.
Note: Individual box keys are available through Jim Neilsen, the Ranch Manager, and you can arrange a time with him to get your keys (Jim can be reached by email at ranchmanager@wbmetro.org or by phone at 970.485.4342). Once you receive keys (2 per box), WBMD will assess a one-time, $25 refundable security deposit to your water bill. This deposit will be returned if & when you return your keys.
4. Optionally, in addition: You may then fill out a “change of address form” with USPS. This can be done in person at either the Silverthorne, Dillon or any other Post Office – or on-line. My suggestion is that you keep a physical copy of that “change of address form” for your records as things have a way of getting lost in the shuffle. The address you use for this form is your Ruby Ranch street address – NOT your new mailbox number at the Ruby Ranch barn! This form will eventually cancel your P.O. Box at the Post Office and forward any mail to your street address. If you want to keep your P.O. Box at the Post Office, you should NOT fill out a change of address form.
5. If you currently utilize the USPS “Informed Delivery” service and you choose to implement a “change of address”, you will receive a letter in your mailbox with a validation code. Don’t throw this away! Log on to your USPS account and confirm that you are “entitled to receive your mail.”
Note: The USPS may turn on the service without requiring the use of a validation code delivered by letter (at least one homeowner has reported this happening). The USPS may also mail a similar letter to your new Ruby Ranch mailbox with the same instructions.
6. There are seventeen package lockers in the mail room. These are used in the same manner as the parcel boxes at the Silverthorne Post Office and when you have a parcel in one of these boxes you will receive a key to that parcel box in your mailbox. The carrier will try to follow the instructions you gave on your Form 4232 for packages that will not fit in a parcel box. If they cannot deliver a package, it will be held at the Dillon Post Office.
I know I have probably forgotten or left something out, but these are the pertinent steps. There are nuances to everything, so feel free to check the USPS website for FAQs.
Note: it takes time for this to actually happen…do not expect immediate results!
