Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 30, 1993 TAG: 9306300301
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Montvale Postmaster Edna Younger wanted to make that clear.
"Not down here. We're pretty laid-back in a small community."
Still, the sight of the crumbled entrance to the Montvale post office on U.S. 460 had people wondering. Younger was happy the media called so she could set the record straight.
What happened was an accident, she said.
Sunday evening, a Montvale woman went to check her post office box at the one-story brick building but blacked out as she pulled into the parking lot. The woman is a diabetic, Younger said.
She slammed into the entrance of the post office, shattering the glass in the front door and knocking away bricks along one wall. Younger estimated the damage at $5,000.
The post office was deserted at the time, and the driver was treated at Bedford County Memorial Hospital for minor cuts and bruises, Younger said.
"The only thing that was hurt was the building," Younger said.
But as a result of the accident, the post office lobby is closed. Monday and Tuesday, yellow police tape separated the entrance from the parking lot. A handwritten note attached to the tape instructed customers to ring the doorbell at the back door if they needed service.
About 450 people have post office boxes in the building.
"I'm delivering their mail from the back door," Younger said.
She's not selling stamps, though. Selling stamps out the back door goes against Postal Service policy. On Monday, Younger turned away the driver who caused the problem in the first place.
She returned for stamps but had to go elsewhere.
Meanwhile,Younger said route delivery is not being affected. Damage was limited to the exterior of the building and has not hurt operations inside, she said. The Montvale post office is staffed by Younger and two part-time employees,plus a full-time route carrier.
Younger was awaiting a settlement with the driver's insurance adjuster, but she said she was confident repair work on the entrance would begin by the end of the week. The building is not owned by the Postal Service; it is leased.
The incident has made for an interesting couple of days, she said. People have been asking a lot of questions. "Everybody's been curious about what happened."
by CNB