By Chris Post / Editor-In-Chief

A pair of downtown mail drop boxes damaged more than a year ago have yet to be replaced, prompting a Marshall resident to ask city officials when they will return.

Claude Fields raised the issue during the public comment portion of Monday’s Marshall City Council meeting.

Fields said someone drove through the parking lot near City Hall about a year and a half ago and destroyed the postal drop boxes located there.

Since then, he said, residents have been waiting for a replacement.

Fields said he repeatedly asked the Marshall Post Office about the new box and was initially told a replacement had been ordered. He said the new box arrived about three months ago, but it still has not been installed.

Mayor Craig Thompson told Fields he has also been asking the post office about the delay.

Thompson said the city’s site is ready for the box, but postal officials have cited staffing shortages and the need for labels showing information such as collection times before it can be installed.

The mayor said he planned to follow up with the postmaster again.

Fields said the missing box creates particular difficulty for senior citizens who previously could drop off outgoing mail without going inside the post office.

“Our senior citizen knees would certainly appreciate that,” Fields told the council.

He said residents now have to climb the steps at the post office when they have mail to send.

Thompson acknowledged the concern and said he would see what could be done to speed up the process.

No installation date for the replacement box was announced during the meeting.