GOLD CANYON, AZ — About a dozen people living in a 55-and-older community outside Apache Junction say they’re tired of waiting nearly a year for mail deliveries to their neighborhood resume.

The owners said it all started when a consolidated box was damaged in January and mail stopped being delivered.

For this reason, residents travel to the Apache Junction Post Office several times a week to receive mail.

“As far as I can tell, there’s no sense of efficiency or care,” neighbor Chuck Cuffaro said. “The post office was unreliable on this subject.”

What they thought would be a temporary solution has now turned into a 10-month ordeal.

“Some people are older and others have difficulty driving and accessing and they now have to walk out and in – whereas before all they had to do was walk to the side of the box to cluster in their golf cart and go in and get their mail,” said Mountainbrook Village HOA President Ed Pullen.

The journey proved difficult for owner Patricia McKay since she could not leave her home.

“I had surgery and I couldn’t get to the mailbox, or the post office,” McKay said. “It’s just been a horrible, horrible disaster.”

Pullen said after the long delay was brought to his attention last month, it took weeks to get a response from USPS after contacting Pinal County, Congressman Eli Crane and the offices from Senator Mark Kelly.

“They didn’t even answer the phone. I spent two weeks constantly making phone calls,” Pullen said. “Pinal County, who has been a hero in this area, has really helped us out a lot, (but we have) had little to no cooperation from the post office.”

While the old grouped box had been receiving mail for about two decades, the U.S. Postal Service said the problem with replacing it was getting an approved site that now meets ADA requirements.

Two weeks ago, Pinal County and USPS met with Pullen and maintenance staff to discuss the project and develop a replacement plan.

The agency says it has now been approved and is in the process of designing the location, applying for more permits and awarding contracts.

“We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers and will complete construction and installation as soon as possible,” the postal service said in a statement.

However, the Postal Service does not have a timeline for installing a new system.

“It’s terrible and I’m sure as we approach the Christmas period at the post office, if you’ve ever seen queues at the post office around that time, just to get mail, it It’s not about going in and getting the mail, you’re waiting in line,” Cuffaro said. “This line is going to get awfully bad in December.”

Pinal County released a statement that said in part: “Our office and Development Services staff continue to work diligently on this issue to resolve it as quickly as possible for community residents. »