![]() ![]() Many homes near the river are built on a bluff that offers unobstructed views. Verplanck, population 1,051, is an isolated pocket of Westchester. “Assuming I didn’t stop and talk with someone, it took at least 15 minutes a day, five days a week. Yet he had local allies: “once, when discussing the issue with him, I calculated how much it cost to pick up my mail,” said Frank Farrell, who recently shuttered his Verplanck printing shop. In the late 1980s, a man named Walter Tripp circulated a petition to institute mail delivery, but became something of a pariah for doing so. In Verplanck, the postal situation is polarizing, especially as demographics change. Residents who desire local delivery in areas where there is none are free to petition the local postmaster, said the spokesman. In Crugers, another hamlet within Cortlandt, the mail is delivered by the Croton-on-Hudson office, but with the Postal Service losing billions of dollars every year, expanding services is not on their to-do list. Nearby, residents of Crompond, Glenham and Fort Montgomery must also pick up their mail. The Postal Service may deny mail delivery to municipalities with fewer than 2,500 residents, said a spokesman. “I wondered why this particular town had no mail service, but hey, it gives the seniors something to do after breakfast.” ![]() “It’s not normal, but it gave us an excuse to take a walk,” said Frances Conforti, who lived in Verplanck for several years and moved to Peekskill. Seniors gather in the morning and a parade of people shuttle in and out all day, making U-turns, parking in front of the fire hydrant and entering, key in hand, to check their postal box, which is free with proof of residency. When open, the place is a whirlwind of activity. There is, however, a lot of bustle at the Post Office in the hamlet’s center, where people must go to get their mail despite snow, rain or heat.įorget the gloom of night: the branch keeps typical business hours, though they close for lunch from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. There are no mailboxes at any residence or business in Verplanck. ‘It gives the seniors something to do after breakfast’ – Frances Conforti. ![]()
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