According to a letter sent by the Tarrytown Post Master and Supervisor of Customer Service to the Sleepy Hollow Gardens’ management company (Samson Management Company) the stoppage was due to multiple dog attacks on postal employees at the complex.
George B. Flood, the U.S. Postal Service Spokesperson for the Northeast, sent the River Journal the following statement:
Let me be clear that one dog attack is one too many. In this fiscal year alone, postal employees nationwide have endured 4,329 dog attacks to date. That averages to about 92 bites every week.
In the Postal Service’s Westchester District, 28 dog attacks have been reported in this period. We cannot expose our carriers to known threats in locations where remedies are available to greatly decrease the risk of a bite as we believe is the case at the 177 White Plains Road complex.
We have made numerous requests to residents to restrain aggressive and loose dogs at the complex. We have not enjoyed sustained cooperation.
We submitted a proposal to the property management to change delivery to a centralized delivery point to protect our carriers while continuing to provide mail service to customers at 177 White Plains Road. The proposal was not accepted.
For that reason, all mail, including publications and packages addressed to 177 White Plains Road will be available for pick-up at the Tarrytown Post Office until the safety of our employees can be assured.
While our goal is to provide the best delivery service possible, we must also be mindful of the welfare and safety of our delivery personnel. We want our carriers to go home to their families and loved ones safe each night. We are proud of their efforts in this instance but their safety is our priority.
According to Tarrytown Village Administrator Richard Slingerland, two Sleepy Hollow Gardens residents contacted the village about the stoppage. “I spoke with the Post Office Supervisor who confirmed they have shut down four or five “sections” of the property from mail delivery due to nuisance or aggressive dogs,” said Slingerland. “He alleged that there have been biting incidents involving their mail carriers. I’ll be following with the management company, as well as other elected officials at different levels of government, and follow-up with the Post Office Supervisor, to see if we can coordinate a mediation between the management company and the USPS to get the mail restored to all of the apartments at Sleepy Hollow Gardens.”
Greenburgh Town Supervior Paul Feiner has a more critical view of the situation. “Mail service improved slightly early this summer but I’m once again receiving numerous complaints each week from residents about postal service operations,” noted Feiner. “This is just one of many complaints. . . The postal service is very unreliable. It’s time for the Congress to schedule hearings on this crisis.”
The River Journal made several attempts to speak with Samson’s Matt Abisch, the property manager, but had not heard back from Mr. Abisch or Samson’s lawyer before press time. The River Journal will continue to reach out to Samson Management and local officials to see if a solution can be reached. In the meantime, we plan to hand deliver copies of the River Journal to all residents of Sleepy Hollow Garden until mail delivery is restored.
As much as we love dogs, please keep yours restrained for the safety of your neighbors, delivery people and other workers who need to feel safe to do their jobs. And if you or a loved one was the victim of a dog bite, someone else might be liable for your suffering. A fresno dog bite lawyer can help you understand your legal options after a dog bite.