To the editor:

Now that Polar Vortex Jayden has moved on and we are headed for a brief warm up, we need our customers’ help. Postal carriers have suffered serious injuries related to slips, trips and falls due to icy and snow covered walkways and porch steps. Preventing a slip or bad fall can be as easy as putting down salt or sand on slippery surfaces or clearing the way to mailboxes.

Please take this opportunity to remove all snow and ice from walkways, sidewalks, steps, porches and around curbline boxes. Clearing snow at least six feet on both sides of curbline mailboxes allows carriers to approach and leave without backing up their vehicles.

When customers maintain a clear path to the mailbox, it helps us provide timely, consistent delivery service. More importantly, it helps keep all visitors – including our letter carriers – safe from injury in these challenging conditions.

Thank you for your assistance and for being a United States Postal Service customer.

Dave Wintheiser

Postmaster, New Ulm