BUENA VISTA, Colo. — Mary Ann Uzelac has loved every minute of the last 18 years living in Buena Vista.
“Everything I could hope for. It's not only beautiful, but it's a nice little community," said Uzelac while sitting in a park on Friday. “It's not a sleepy little mountain town anymore, because it's convenient to Denver and Colorado Springs. It's a nice weekend trip. It's been discovered.”
Despite loving her community, there's always been one part of life in Buena Vista Uzelac did not understand.
“When I went to get my first mailbox, I learned that there was no house to house delivery in this little town. I was a little surprised," said Uzelac. "I went to the post office and they said, you have to rent a post office box. That's a first for me, because I've never had to rent a post office box, and I don't have any other way to get my mail. And they said, well, that's the way it is.”
Uzelac said at that time, the P.O. box cost her $24 a year. However, she said those rates have gradually increased. Now, the United States Postal Service (USPS) postmaster in Buena Vista said P.O. boxes start at $166 a year.
Those with USPS said there is free mail delivery offered outside the town, but only a few locations are able to have their mail delivered within the town. So, the majority of Buena Vista residents must pay for a P.O. box.
Six years ago, Uzelac started a Facebook group about the mail service in Buena Vista called BV Citizens for a Better Post Office.
“With the prices going up over the last two years so drastically, our group grew from maybe 120 people to where it is now, over 460 people," Uzelac said. “We decided to have a protest at the end of July, which is a big thing for a little community... Maybe 15 people showed up each day, which was really nice. These are people that never did this before.”
Uzelac believed they were entitled to free P.O. boxes. In September, USPS announced free P.O. boxes will be available to Buena Vista residents who qualify starting on January 2, 2023.
“I was absolutely ecstatic. I mean, how often does that happen? A little town challenges the rules of an enormous bureaucracy, it's second only to the Defense Department in size. And actually, someone finally takes a step back looks at it and said, yeah, we should do it. You know, that rarely happens," Uzelac said with a smile.
USPS told Denver7 they are working to figure out which residents qualify for the free P.O. boxes. They will likely be for those who live in town and have been paying for P.O. boxes, and are not on a mail delivery route. Residents will have to apply for the free P.O. boxes, and USPS is working to ensure everyone can keep the same P.O. box number they already have.
