Pop songs over the years have encouraged you to “shake your grooved thing,” or “shake your booty,” even just the generic “shake it baby.” Well, in a unique turn of the phrase, the Van Buren County Road Commission has issued a request that you “Shake Your Mailbox” here in October. They want to make sure that it can withstand the rigors of the upcoming winter season, especially when the plows hit the roads.
Van Buren County Road Commission authorities suggest that, “Taking time now to secure your mailbox for winter could prevent big headaches in subfreezing temps.” The message being delivered this week is to prepare your mailbox for winter by tightening the screws and ensuring the post and box are both secure enough to endure large amounts of thrown snow, kicked up by passing snow plows over the winter season.
“Shaking your mailbox,” helps you to determine its stability as well as its ability to withstand another Michigan winter. Authorities suggest, “If the mailbox or post moves when shaken, the box or post likely needs to be repaired or replaced.”
While the message this week is being dispatched by Van Buren County road crews, every Michigan road department likely concurs, and suggests the same thing.
In Van Buren County, the Road Commission’s Mailbox Policy states, “The Road Commission will replace a mailbox/post only when it is found that Road Commission equipment made direct contact with the mailbox; not when the box is knocked over by snow or slush that is thrown by the snow plow.” That’s important information to have.
So…step to the curb or road’s edge and prepare for winter now by ensuring your mailbox can withstand the force of thrown snow. “Shake Your Mailbox In October!”
