LATEST MYNORTHWEST LOCAL AND PACIFIC NORTHWEST NEWS

Residents fed up as mail delivery issues continue on Vashon Island

Jan 9, 2023, 5:49 AM

Photo from KIRO 7...

Photo from KIRO 7

Mail woes continue on Vashon Island, where some residents say they wait weeks or sometimes months for their mail to be delivered.

Residents there join a growing list of communities in western Washington that say they’re experiencing major delays from the U.S. Postal Service.

Follow this link to read additional stories from KIRO

Jim Garrison is just one of the many Vashon Island residents who said they had lost faith in their local post office.

“It’s insane. We’re living in a third-world country all of a sudden,” said Garrison. “I had insurance documents mailed to me that didn’t come for two and a half months. I don’t know where they were. Whether they were sitting in that post office or sitting in some post office in Seattle. ”

Residents report a mail lag that goes back months but has been exacerbated by the holiday season.

Some are still waiting on Christmas presents.

“They’re going on Amazon, for example, and they’re seeing that it’s scheduled to be delivered today, so they’re expecting their packages to show up, like pre-Christmas. A lot of that did not happen,” said David Mish, who also lives on Vashon Island.

Others anxiously wait for deliveries of medicine, diapers and propane items that they’ve tracked online to the postal facility on Vashon, but then radio silence — no delivery for weeks.

Residents alerted KIRO 7 to pallets of mail stored outdoors behind the post office, where they’re exposed to the elements.

Sending mail is also an issue. Residents say there’s often an hours-long line inside the post office.

A representative with the USPS credits these frustrations to staffing issues but tells KIRO 7 that the agency is actively hiring.

It also plans to temporarily relocate postal workers from other offices to Vashon in hopes that it will help alleviate some issues.

Residents agree that local post workers need help.

“I’m not blaming the local people, the employees here. I think they’re doing the best they can,” said Garrison. “But there’s something happening on the upper levels that is really messed up.”

Residents say they’ve started reaching out to their local representatives to try to find a solution, and a community meeting is scheduled to discuss the mail delays on Jan. 19.

Follow this link to read additional stories from KIRO

Latest MyNorthwest Local and Pacific Northwest News

mexican meth bellevue...

Frank Sumrall

Three Mexican men arrested after trying to distribute 30 pounds of meth in Bellevue

Three Mexican residents were arrested after allegedly being caught with 30 pounds of crystal methamphetamine during a drug deal late last week in Bellevue.

16 minutes ago

Image: Twin waterspouts appeared in the Puget Sound in January 2025. It's a rare occurrence....

Morgan Palmer, KIRO 7 chief meteorologist

Rare occurrence: Twin waterspouts pop up over Puget Sound

A very rare occurrence appears to have briefly happened over Puget Sound off South King County Wednesday: twin waterspouts.

12 hours ago

Image: A Kent Police Department vehicle is seen on a city street....

Steve Coogan

Another Puget Sound area pedestrian killed by a moving train

For the second time in about a month, a moving train killed a Western Washington pedestrian who was crossing the tracks.

12 hours ago

Photo: Sweden's Martin Haarahiltunen in red is riding inside Finland's Max Koivula and Austria's Fr...

Paul Holden

Weekend festivities: Undie run, pinball, ice racing and more!

Maybe you've been stuck inside this week enjoying the snow and are ready to get out and enjoy the weekend, well you are in luck!

13 hours ago

Ice with some snow over the weekend...

Bill Kaczaraba

Western WA snow fades, but freezing temperatures, ice persist

We are finally getting a break with the snow, but frigid temperatures will continue through the weekend.

16 hours ago

Photo: A cell in the King County Jail can be seen in a recent photo....

Matt Markovich

Justice vs. safety: Washington lawmakers clash over sentencing reform bill

A bill advanced in Olympia that may lead to a floor vote on one of the most significant law and justice bills of this session. It involves sentencing reform.

16 hours ago

Residents fed up as mail delivery issues continue on Vashon Island