DENVER—U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) sent a letter today to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy urging him to restore the ZIP Code for the town of Silver Cliff, located in the southern part of Congressional District Seven. In 1991, the town lost its unique ZIP Code, which has resulted in delays and extensive errors with postal delivery, as well as a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales tax revenue.
This letter comes following a similar message Pettersen sent to the Postmaster General exactly one month ago, calling for urgent action to address postal delays and other ongoing problems in the Buena Vista and Twin Lakes community. Less than one month into office, Pettersen launched a survey on her website for constituents to voice the issues and concerns they are experiencing with the post office in their area.
“Residents of the mountainous, rural southern region of my district rely on USPS for prescription drugs, billing notices, food, clothing, and other necessary items,” wrote Pettersen. “USPS should be a lifeline to Silver Cliff, yet USPS leadership continues to fail them, as well as many other constituents throughout Colorado’s 7th Congressional District.”
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
Dear Postmaster General DeJoy,
I write requesting the United States Postal Service (USPS) restore the unique, individual ZIP Code of 81249 for the Town of Silver Cliff, Colorado. An unincorporated town in Custer County, Colorado, Silver Cliff lost its dedicated ZIP Code in 1991. In the years since, Silver Cliff has been sharing its ZIP Code with the town of Westcliffe, despite being slightly more populous than its neighbor. This move has cost Silver Cliff nearly $750,000 in sales tax revenue over the past thirty years.
On January 24, 2023, I wrote to you regarding extensive delivery delays and subpar postal services in Buena Vista and Chaffee County. Since I sent that letter, hundreds of constituents have contacted my office with complaints about postal service in their area, including multiple residents of Silver Cliff. In addition to receiving mail at a reduced frequency, many Silver Cliff residents report constantly receiving mail meant for citizens who live at the same street address in Westcliffe, because the two towns share a ZIP Code.
Residents of the mountainous, rural southern region of my district rely on USPS for prescription drugs, billing notices, food, clothing, and other necessary items. USPS should be a lifeline to Silver Cliff, yet USPS leadership continues to fail them, as well as many other constituents throughout Colorado’s 7th Congressional District. Restoring Silver Cliff’s ZIP Code would be an important step for this small community.
Thank you for giving your full and fair consideration of this request in accordance with all applicable rules, regulations, laws, and guidelines.
Sincerely,
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