As a follow-up to your news article on "Fortress Mailboxes: move 'em or lose 'em," I'd like to request that you elaborate on the suggestion made by [County Administrator] Bill Beckett to move 'em.

How far back from the street does the right-of-way extend? If they were moved back to the property line, will the mail carrier still deliver the mail? What are the postal regulations regarding placement of mailboxes in relation to the street? Will the mail carrier deliver mail by pulling into your driveway (i.e., off of the right-of-way)?

It won't do much good to "move 'em" if the mail carrier won't put mail in 'em!

I'd also like to see you publish the names and phone numbers of the Fayette county commissioners so that Fayette residents can let them know what they think of this stupid ban.

Joe Finney
Fayetteville

Editor's note: Good questions, with complicated answers, according to Fayetteville Postmaster Tourgee Simpson, who noted that no one from the county commission or the county staff has contacted him about their decision to ban "fortress" mailboxes from county rights of way. We are going to look into this matter in more depth, but here are some general rules, courtesy of Simpson.

On roads with curbs, the mailbox "face" or door must be within 12 inches of the curb. On roads without curbing, the "face" must be within 12 inches one foot of the edge of the pavement. Usually, mailboxes are forbidden to be located in driveways.

Simpson said all routes are designed to allow the mail carrier to place mail in boxes without leaving the vehicle.