Mail being delivered in Mahanoy Plane

Jan 05, 2013 (Republican & Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- MAHANOY PLANE -- Residents of Mahanoy Plane received a pleasant surprise Wednesday when they found their mail being delivered to local cluster boxes near their homes.

A village in the Borough of Gilberton, Mahanoy Plane lost its post office after Nov. 30, 2011, and since that time, the residents had been required to pick up their mail at the Frackville post office.

Carl "Chuck" Deiter, a contracted employee of the U.S. Postal Service, began delivering to the cluster boxes in Mahanoy Plane on Wednesday. For about 10 years, Deiter has been making similar deliveries to the borough villages of Gilberton and Maizeville after the Gilberton post office closed. He has 166 postal patrons in Mahanoy Plane.

During the December meeting, Gilberton Borough Council learned from Frackville Postmaster David Gricoski that the mail delivery could start soon, which pleased council members.

Even though mail is being delivered through the Frackville office, the ZIP codes have been maintained in the borough. Residents of the Gilberton/Maizeville areas continue to use the 17934 ZIP code of their former postal facility, while Mahanoy Plane residents are using the 17949 ZIP code. At one time, Gilberton was the only borough in the country with two post offices with two different ZIP codes. In addition, the residents in the Plane Field section of the borough, which is adjacent to the Frackville/Gilberton municipal line on Broad Mountain, are served through Frackville's ZIP code of 17931.

Like many Mahanoy Plane residents, Elaine Meade, High Road, got the news when she went to Frackville for her mail Wednesday.

"I went up the other day to pick up the mail and my envelope was there with my key," said Meade, who was excited when she got it. "They're very nice people working at the Frackville office but the parking was the main problem.

"I'm thrilled. I couldn't be happier," she said. "And the box isn't far away from my home. I just happen to be lucky since I can just come out of my house and walk over." Meade also regularly picks up mail for a friend who lives on Main Street but does not drive. She picked up her friend's key Friday at the post office.

Gilberton Mayor Mary Lou Hannon, who lives in Mahanoy Plane, was thrilled when she learned mail was being delivered.

"I went in to pick up my mail on Wednesday, and there was a gentleman behind me from Mahanoy Plane and we talked about how it would be great to get delivery so we don't have to fight the traffic," Hannon said. "I turned toward the clerk who said the mail was delivered today. I said, 'Yeah, you're kidding,' and he said, 'No, it is delivered.' I said to him, 'Happy New Year!' It was a nice surprise. I knew everybody would be pleased." Hannon has talked to her neighbors and said they are very pleased. She explained that packages that do not fit in the boxes will have to be picked up at Frackville.

"The only downside about getting our mail now is that we won't have that smiling face on the other side of the counter when we get our mail," Hannon said.

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