HomeMy WebLinkAboutREPORT Post Office Operational Perspective TBSS 2025-10-28Report
To:Honorable Mayor Hall
Board of Trustees
From:Mail Carriers in Estes Park
Date:October 28, 2025
RE:Post Office Operational Perspective:
Commercial-Loading Permits and the Parking Location of Delivery and Carriers’
Personal Vehicles
______________________________________________________________________________
Purpose of Study Session Item:
To provide information about post office usage of parking lots, impact of changes on that usage and to
propose solutions to the parking location of delivery and carriers’ personal vehicles.
Town Board Direction Requested:
Please support local businesses, residents of Estes Park, and visitors to the Estes Park area by reducing
the burdens placed on postal carriers in the performance of their duties.
Specifically,
1) Revoke the overnight parking restrictions1 (passed on April 22, 2025) in the downtown commercial
district parking lots so that postal delivery vehicles may be parked near the post office and not across
town. See the proposals on pages five thru seven for various ideas on revising the policy.
2) Continue to permit those individuals performing postal work, to park personal vehicles in front of
the post office during the hours that they are working out of the post office. In this case, the employee-
convenience permits available to all workers and business owners in the downtown area would
continue to apply.
3) Re-write commercial-loading permits to recognize the logistical realities and requirements of the
movement of mail and packages thru the post office. As of right now the commercial-loading permits
make misdemeanants2 out of every postal carrier, because the permits cannot be complied with as they
1 Policy 842 Parking Permits. (3. Permit Types, f. Business Permit: Commercial Loading, ii. Rules and Regulations, (3).
2 Misdemeanant: someone committing a misdemeanor, like violating an ordinance.
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are currently written. The part of the Commercial Loading Permit, which cannot be complied with
states that “(3) Vehicles displaying this permit must be actively loading or unloading people and/or
goods.”3 Carriers cannot be actively loading or unloading the whole time they are using the lot.
4) To support the move of the post office out of the downtown commercial district even though this
may take years to accomplish and may ultimately be determined by the United States Postal Service
(USPS) Board of Governors.4
Moving the Post Office Location:
Let us discuss this first and get it out of the way.
Multiple post masters over the years have made multiple requests that the location of the post office be
moved. These requests have come to naught.
A new postal facility is desperately needed. No doubts. There is insufficient space inside the building
for the volume of packages. There is asbestos. There are inadequate bathroom facilities. There is no
secure location to load delivery vehicles. The sanctity of mail and packages is threatened. There are
numerous safety problems caused by using the public parking lot for loading. The box truck and
delivery vehicles are required to back through a heavily used pedestrian sidewalk to load and unload. It
is difficult for customers to find parking when they want to access postal services. People park,
blocking the loading dock, while they rush inside to wait in line, because they are unable to find a free
30-minute parking spot.
Perhaps removing carrier parking in front of the post office finally gets someone’s attention in the
federal government and finally spurs them to action. Perhaps the post office will be moved.
This is what we can say for sure:
Removing carrier parking overnight from the lot nearest the post office makes it harder
for carriers to get their jobs done.
Removing carrier parking overnight increases the safety risks that carriers face.
Removing carrier parking overnight increases the security risks faced by contractors.
Although moving the post office is a goal many desire, it is not something that will happen soon. Not
being able to park overnight in front of the post office is causing problems right now.
So, let us look at the situation . . . .
3 Town of Estes Park, Public Works. (April 22, 2025). Policy 842 Parking Permits. (3. Permit Types, f. Business Permit:
Commercial Loading, ii. Rules and Regulations, (3). Accessed online at
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1phtT23ZrmARWbDcEqR7PDv-8WGWMFd2H/view on 8 October 2025.
4 The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service is the governing body of the United States Postal Service.
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Present Situation 5 :
On April 22, 2025, the Town Board voted to revise Policy 842 so that commercial vehicles could no
longer park overnight on town property in the downtown commercial district. In prior years, delivery
vehicles were parked in the town-owned lot in front of the post office6.
Since the implementation of paid parking in the Downtown Commercial District, the USPS paid for
overnight permits to park delivery vehicles in the parking lot overnight. The USPS also paid for
employee-convenience permits to park delivery vehicles and carriers’ personal vehicles in the lot
during the day. So the USPS was paying for one overnight permit per delivery vehicle. Plus, an
employee-convenience permit for each delivery vehicle. Plus, an employee-convenience permit for
each carriers’ personal vehicle while they were working.
After the passing of the overnight parking ordinance in April of 2025, postal carriers were told that they
could no longer park delivery vehicles overnight in the downtown commercial district. Instead of
overnight permits, postal carriers were required to purchase commercial loading permits. After some
misinformation and confusion about where carriers were to park, it was determined that they would
park in the Museum Annex parking lot at 220 Fourth Street. The Museum Annex lot is 1.3 miles from
the post office one way.
5 Please note that since only carrier vehicles are affected by this change, this document only refers to carrier usage of the
parking lot and does not discuss usage of the lot by USPS government employees (for whom employee-convenience
parking permits are paid for by the USPS).
6 The lot is currently named the Baldwin Park Lot. In this report, the lot will also be referred to as the Post Office Lot.
This is to reduce confusion for readers who are less familiar with the names and locations of parking lots in Estes Park.
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Walk – It takes 25 minutes to walk from the post office to the Museum Annex.
Shuttle – When all shuttles are working, it is a 40 minute shuttle ride, from the post office to the
Museum Annex. The shuttle ride involves a transfer between shuttles at the visitor center, and
about 7 minutes of walking. Note that the shuttle from the visitor center to the event center
shuttle stop does not run throughout the entire summer season. Also, the shuttles do not run
during the off-season.
Drive – It takes an average of 5 minutes7, to drive one-way from the post office to the Museum
Annex. During busy days or events downtown, like parades, it can take over 20 minutes to drive
between the two locations (and that is avoiding downtown and going over Moccasin Circle Dr).
The Real Reason for No Overnight Parking
The parking lot in front of the post office is virtually empty and unused overnight.8 So why prevent
delivery vehicles from parking overnight in this location?
After carriers spoke with the Mayor and some Town Trustees, it became clear that the purpose of not
allowing overnight parking of delivery vehicles in front of the post office is to remove carriers’
personal vehicles from the lot during the day. The town had been informed that carriers were using 20
parking spots during the day; one spot for a delivery vehicle and one spot for a personal vehicle. This
was believed, by at least one downtown business owner to be excessive and unfair usage of the parking
lot in front of the post office by postal carriers. This usage allegedly harms the town and local
businesses by reducing the number of parking spots available for tourists.
As readers will discover in the How Carriers Use the Parking Lot in Front of the Post Office section,
usage of the lot is more nuanced.
7 However, when calculating costs, carriers report more than a 5 minute one-way drive. This is because multiple trips
may be required between the post office and the Museum Annex.
8 The ban on overnight parking excludes downtown residents and downtown vacation rental units. During the March 25,
2025 Work Study Session, Dana Klein, Town Parking and Transit Manager, verbally stated that police were allowed
discretion in cases of drunk people wanting to leave their vehicles overnight.
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Proposals, Advantages, Disadvantages
Proposal I(a).Advantages Disadvantages
A)Simply remove the
ordinance that does not
allow the overnight parking
of commercially-marked
vehicles in the downtown
commercial district.
B)Delivery vehicles, back-up
Support the carriers
providing a vital service to
the community of Estes
Park.
The two tour companies,
Wildside and Green Jeep,
both support downtown
businesses by bringing
There is an impact on the
number of parking spaces
available to tourists.
Is this impact significant
enough to warrant the harm that
the ordinance causes?
Page 5 of 32
Proposal I(a).Advantages Disadvantages
vehicles and personal
vehicles are parked in the
lot by the post office.
C)This means tour businesses
would also be able to park
downtown overnight.
Approximately, four Green
Jeep Tours vehicles would
be parked overnight in the
Wiest Lot and one vehicle
from Wildside 4x4 Tours in
the East Riverside Lot.
Proposal I(b).
A)Exempt delivery vehicles
from the policy and issue
permits permitting delivery
vehicles to park in the
parking lot by the post
office.
customers who spend
money into the downtown
commercial district.
Proposal II.Advantages Disadvantages
A)Reserve the ten parking
spots on East Riverside Dr
for postal carriers to park
delivery vehicles overnight.
These are currently free
parking, three-hour time-
limited spots at the corner of
East Riverside and Ivy
Street.
B)Simultaneously, allow back-
up delivery vehicles to be
parked in the Davis Lot off
of Moraine Ave. This will
use approximately four
parking spots in that lot. The
The delivery and personal
vehicles of those driving the
delivery vehicles are further
from the town center. They
are not in the contested post
office lot.
Yet, they are within about 1
minute walking distance of
the post office.
Carriers have an improved
opportunity to pursue the
other income-producing
activities necessary to
sustain themselves.
Vehicle keys can be kept
securely at the post office.
When assistance is needed
with vehicle maintenance, it
Both the East Riverside Dr
and Davis Lot are within the
downtown commercial
district.
The number of free parking
spots is reduced by
approximately 14.
It is still extremely time
consuming for carriers to
access the vans in this area,
when the downtown streets
are closed for parades.
Tourists are likely to park in
the East Riverside Dr spots,
even if they are marked as
reserved. When this occurs,
allow delivery vehicles to be
parked in the Davis Lot
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Proposal II.Advantages Disadvantages
Davis Lot is currently a free
parking lot.
can quickly and easily be
requested from nearby
carriers.
The Davis Lot is a 5 minute
one-way walk from the post
office. This is quickly and
easily accomplished in the
event of a delivery vehicle
breakdown.
instead.
Proposal III.Advantages Disadvantages
A)Allow delivery and back-up
delivery vehicles to be
parked overnight in the
Davis Lot.
B)Green Jeep Tours could also
use this lot.
C)Wildside Tours has overnight
parking outside of the
downtown commercial
district for their vehicles.
They would be satisfied with
being able to park one
vehicle overnight in the East
Riverside Lot.
The delivery and personal
vehicles of those driving the
delivery vehicles are further
from the town center. They
are not in the contested post
office lot.
The Davis Lot is a five
minute one-way walk from
the post office. This is so
much better than a 25
minute one-way walk across
town.
Both the East Riverside Dr
and Davis Lot are within the
downtown commercial
district.
The number of free parking
spots is reduced by
approximately 14.
It is still extremely time
consuming for carriers to
access the vans in this area,
when the downtown streets
are closed for parades.
Carriers are competing on a
first-come, first-serve basis
to find parking in the Davis
Lot.
Finance/Resource Impact:
It is interesting to note that the report published in the March 25, 2025 work study session about
overnight parking states that there are no financial impacts. And yet, financial impacts are supposedly
the reason why carrier parking in front of the post office is being limited.
This is not about the financial gains to the town in parking fees by having additional spots to rent. This
is, supposedly, about the financial costs to downtown businesses in the form of sales they lose if a
tourist can’t find a parking spot. Following that line of reason, this is then also about the loss of sales
tax revenue to the town, by the post office use of the parking lot.
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Yet when asked9, the town does not appear to have actually looked at an estimate of these costs in their
decision-making. As noted during the conversation, it would be difficult to find the data to calculate
these costs.10
So, is it simply being assumed that any tourist who can’t park in the post office parking lot, is an
unacceptable cost?
On the flip side, what are the costs to residents and businesses in Estes, of limiting carrier access to the
parking lot? What are the costs of their mail and packages being delayed? The costs of their carriers
working harder for the same compensation? This is even more difficult to calculate, since it is related to
quality of life and the ease of living and doing business in Estes. When making a decision, have these
costs been ignored? Or, in the pursuit of tourist dollars, are they simply deemed acceptable for residents
and businesses to pay?
--------
The Town of Estes publishes the average weekly occupancy percentage of the post office parking lot.11
The data is only gathered between 10 am and 5 pm. The occupancy percentage includes all users in the
parking lot during that time, including carriers, tourists, residents accessing the post office, guests of
downtown vacation rentals and vehicles with employee-convenience permits. The 2025 data shows
average percentage occupancy of the lot without carriers parking overnight in the parking lot. By
adding the averages reported by carriers of their use of the parking lot if they park overnight in front of
the post office to the 2025 data, we can see that there is clearly an impact on parking spots available.
The orange bars indicate parking spots not available if carriers were parking overnight in the lot. The
number is the parking spots needed over that week.
If 11 vehicles, were unable to park over one week, is that too high a cost?
If 20 vehicles were unable to park over one week, is that too high a cost in sales compared to the costs
of residents?
If 106 vehicles were unable to park over four months, is that cost too high?
9 Public discussion during Town Trustee Talk with Town Trustees Frank Lancaster and Bill Brown, and Deputy Town
Administrator, Jason Damweber on September 25, 2025, 10 am – 11 am, Town Hall
10 For example, a very basic analysis: how much money is spent per vehicle parking in the lot times the number of
vehicles who can’t park in the lot due to carriers parking in the lot = loss of sales to downtown businesses. Obviously,
this simple analysis would not take into consideration which businesses were impacted or how far away users of that lot
walk in the downtown area.
11 Data on tourist usage is downloaded from EstesPark.Colorado.gov/parking, 2025 Seasonal Paid Parking Reports. As of
the preparation of this report, only data thru September 28 had been uploaded for the 2025 season.
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After 5 pm
Note that these numbers do not reflect usage of the parking lot after 5 pm. In other words, the times
when people might be visiting a bar in the downtown area is not reported. The carriers have observed
that after 5 pm there are plenty of parking spots available for use by bar patrons. The exception to this
being when there are festivals in Bond Park downtown. On these weekends, the parking lot is full after
5 pm.
Level of Public Interest:
High.
In our experience, residents are initially disgusted and then confounded by the idea that carriers are
being required to park overnight across town.
Page 9 of 32
Attachments
About the Carriers..........................................................................................................................11
Carrier Income Composition................................................................................................11
How Carriers are Paid..........................................................................................................12
Turnover Among Carriers.....................................................................................................12
Financial and Resource Impacts for Carriers Parking Off-Site.....................................................13
Average Time, Distance and Expenses for Carriers..............................................................13
Will the Town Please Pay This Invoice?..............................................................................14
How Carriers Use the Parking Lot in Front of the Post Office.....................................................15
Changes to Parking Lot Usage Due to Unpredictable Events..............................................15
Changes to Parking Lot Usage Due to Town Ordinance......................................................17
When Carriers Arrive/Leave the Parking Lot......................................................................17
Basic Carrier Tasks Performed, Referenced to Use of Parking Lot.....................................18
Route Management Scenarios and Parking Lot Usage........................................................19
Scenario A: Delivery vehicle only.........................................................................20
Scenario B: One delivery vehicle and one personal vehicle.................................20
Scenario C: More than two vehicles......................................................................20
Mail and Package Volume Impact on Parking Lot Usage....................................................21
Average Volume by Day.........................................................................................21
Average Volume by Month.....................................................................................21
Average Usage of the Post Office (Baldwin) Lot by Hour and Day....................................22
Common Tragedies & Coping Strategies......................................................................................25
Tragedy 1: Insufficient Keys Resulting in Multiple Trips To and From the Post
Office.......................................................................................................................25
Coping Strategy 1: Buy Duplicate Keys and Give One to Each Carrier...............25
Tragedy 2: Unauthorized Use of Delivery Vehicles...............................................25
Coping Strategy 2: Reduce Access to Multiple Keys............................................26
Lock Boxes for Keys..........................................................................................26
Tragedy 3: Stranded Without a Vehicle..................................................................26
Coping Strategy 3: Leave Delivery Vehicle in Post Office Lot Until Someone is
Available to Drive it Across Town..........................................................................26
Tragedy 4: Vehicle Breakdown..............................................................................26
Impact of Each Proposal on Relevant Parking Lots.............................................................27
Current Situation – Carriers park overnight at the Museum Annex......................27
Proposal I – Carriers park overnight in the post office parking lot........................27
Proposal II – Carriers park overnight along E. Riverside Dr with back-up vehicles
in the Davis Lot.......................................................................................................27
Proposal III – Carriers park overnight in the Davis Lot.......................................29
Policy 842 Parking Permits – Commercial Loading Permits.........................................................30
Letters From Carriers......................................................................................................................31
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About the Carriers
There are currently ten routes delivering in Estes Park. Included in those ten is the route to Glen Haven
and Drake. In addition, there is a box truck route bringing mail and packages to/from Estes Park
multiple times a day. There is also a route running to Allenspark. Approximately 21 carriers work on
these twelve routes. Each of these routes is a Highway Contract Route. These types of contracts can be
bid on by any qualified bidder, when the contracts come available. Contracts are awarded and
administered by the Contract Delivery Service (CDS) office. Most, but not all contracts, are owned by
locals living in the Estes Park area.
This means that the carriers delivering mail and packages on the street are independent contractors.
They are not government employees. Contractors do not have benefits provided by an employer. Like
any other independent contractor, they only have benefits if they pay for them out of their own pockets.
Mail delivery does not automatically = health insurance, workers compensation for injury on the job,
life and disability insurance, unemployment insurance, paid-time off, overtime pay or retirement
benefits. Only those carriers fortunate enough to make sufficient income can afford to provide
themselves with these benefits.
When asked, the Contract Delivery Service (CDS) office said no additional compensation would be
provided for the additional distance and time carriers must drive between the Museum Annex and the
post office.
Carrier Income Composition
It is important to note that slightly over half of the carriers have multiple jobs or run multiple
businesses. Income from delivering the mail either supplements other income or other income
supplements delivery income.
Why is this important?
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Carriers are busy people. The additional time driving between lots is an opportunity cost to
over 50% of the carriers. They are losing the opportunity to earn enough to cover living
expenses via other income-producing activities.
How Carriers are Paid
Most carriers are paid a fixed-rate for the day. The exception are carriers who work two to four hours
on only some days. They are generally paid by the hour.
So carriers work as quickly as possible. They work until deliveries are finished, no matter how long it
takes. The faster they work, the more they make per hour, and the more time they have to go to other
jobs or other businesses.
Parking off-site means that carrier expenses increase and the time they spend working increases, and
the time they have at other jobs and businesses or even just living their lives decreases, but their
compensation does not change.
If the purpose of the commercial loading permit is to reduce the amount of time a delivery vehicle
spends parked in the post office lot, then the permit is completely pointless. Carriers already work as
quickly as possible.
Turnover Among Carriers
Please also note that turnover among carriers is quite high. In 2025, approximately 66% of the people
working as a carrier have left. They quit, or were let go, or the contract they were working on changed
management/ownership.
Why is this important?
It means every reduction of the burdens placed on carriers makes a difference.
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Financial and Resource Impacts for Carriers Parking Off-Site
Average Time, Distance and Expenses for Carriers
Average per Carrier Aggregate of Affected Carriers
Time 25 minutes per day
2.5 hours per week
10 hours per month
spent driving between the Museum Annex
and the post office
While some carriers have a very basic drive
time of 10 to 14 minutes a day, others have a
longer drive time. The longer drive time is
due to Multiple trips between the Museum
Annex and the post office in one day
(described further in the Common
Tragedies and Coping Strategies section).
3.75 hours per day
22.5 hours per week
90 hours per month
spent driving between the Museum Annex
and the post office
Aggregate of the 9 out of 12 routes
affected at the time of this report.
As discussed in the Route Management
Scenarios and Parking Lot Usage
section, not all carriers use the
Museum Annex parking lot.
Distance 2.33 one-way trips per day
@ 1.3 miles per trip
= 3.03 miles per day
18.2 miles per week
72.7 miles per month
driving between the Museum Annex and the
post office
The Contract Delivery Service Office (CDS),
which pays the delivery contractors, normally
reimburses carriers for extra trips. However, the
CDS does not consider traveling between the
Museum Annex and the post office a
reimbursable trip and will not compensate
carriers.
27.3 miles per day
163.8 miles per week
655.2 miles per month
driving between the Museum Annex and
the post office
Aggregate of the 9 out of 12 routes
affected at the time of this report.
Expenses $2.50 per day
$15 per week
$60 per month
Expenses, such as gas
Does not include loss in earnings per
hour.
$22.50 per day
$135 per week
$540 per month
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Will the Town Please Pay This Invoice?
Carriers have attempted a variety of strategies to cope with off-site parking. There have been extra
costs, like duplicate keys. There have been unexpected results, like the loss of a vehicle.
The damage to this delivery vehicle occurred around
2 am in the morning. It was being driven for
unauthorized purposes. It is an example of the
increased security risks to contractors, due to
vehicles being parked off-site.
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How Carriers Use the Parking Lot in Front of the Post Office
It is important to emphasize the unpredictability of postal carrier usage of the parking lot. The work is
the same every day – and on any given day, any given thing might happen.
Changes to Parking Lot Usage Due to Unpredictable Events
Over the past year, usage of the parking lot has changed when the following has happened:
Event Impact on Post Office Parking Lot Usage12
1. Mail and/or packages are delayed. Accidents
closing roads, large numbers of tourists downtown,
weather delaying traffic in Estes or on the way to
Estes.
Carriers are delayed in arriving at the post office.
Carriers are delayed leaving the lot for street
delivery.
Delivery vehicle not being actively
loaded/unloaded while waiting.
2. Amazon delivery trucks are late. Carriers are delayed leaving the lot for street
delivery.
Delivery vehicle not being actively
loaded/unloaded while waiting.
3. Delays at postal warehouses. Breakdown of box
truck bringing mail from warehouses to Estes
Park.
Carriers are delayed leaving the lot for street
delivery.
Delivery vehicle not being actively
loaded/unloaded while waiting.
4. Delivery vehicles breaking down. Carriers are delayed leaving the lot for street
delivery.
Routes may have multiple delivery vehicles
parked in the lot at one time.
Broken down vehicle is in lot pending removal
to servicing location.
Back-up vehicles are generally parked in lots,
but not used daily.
5. Changes in how mail and packages are
processed resulting in changes of which days have
the heaviest loads.
Usually Monday is the heaviest day of the
week. During the early part of the year, postal
service management changed the processing
so Saturdays were the heaviest day. This
lasted about a month before reverting to
Mondays.
See #10 below for impacts.
6. Changes in management of routes, changes in
contract owners, training of new carriers, training
of new postal clerks, changes in management of
postal operations, changes in contract
requirements.
Longer or shorter time in parking lot due to a
change in how the route is managed.
Routes may have more or fewer delivery
vehicles parked in the lot.
When there are new clerks or new carriers,
12 For this chart, assume delivery vehicles parked overnight in front of post office and personal vehicles are parked in
front of post office during the day.
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Event Impact on Post Office Parking Lot Usage
vehicles will be in the lot for longer while
tasks are learned.
Post office management may require additional
tasks of carriers, resulting in more work and
vehicles being in the lot longer.
Contract start times, leave for street times, back
from street times and end times may be
changed, resulting in additional or less time
spent in parking lot.
Any of these changes may result in vehicles not
being actively loaded/unloaded for a longer or
shorter period while in the parking lot.
7. Non-USPS delivery services changing their
agreements with Amazon.
See #10 below.
8. Carriers being ill. USPS clerks being ill.
Carriers or clerks quitting in the middle of the day.
The learning curve holds sway. Parking lot will
be used longer because carriers and clerks are
completing unfamiliar routes or tasks.
When clerks work slower, carriers are delayed
in leaving the parking lot.
Delivery vehicle not being actively
loaded/unloaded for longer periods.
9. Changes on routes, like adding apartment
buildings or installing cluster boxes.
Adding addresses (like apartment buildings)
incrementally increases the amount of time in
parking lot due to more mail and packages
being processed.
◦Delivery vehicle not being actively
loaded/unloaded for longer periods.
Installing cluster boxes generally decreases
personal vehicle usage lot because the route
takes less time to complete.
◦On the flip-side, the delivery vehicle
may be back in the lot earlier, possibly
during peak tourist-usage.
◦Also on the flip, the time that vehicles
are not being actively loaded/unloaded
may decrease.
◦Delivery vehicle may leave the lot for
the street earlier.
10. Mondays, Days after Holidays & After
Amazon Prime Days
These high volume days result in additional
usage of the lot. Deliveries may take place on
Sundays or on Holidays. Usually the extra
usage takes place in the mornings.
Processing more items means carriers are
Page 16 of 32
Event Impact on Post Office Parking Lot Usage
delayed in leaving the lot for street delivery.
Personal vehicles are in the lot for longer.
More personal vehicles are in the lot because
more carriers are working.
More time spent inside processing mail.
Takes more time to load the vehicle.
Multiple loads needed so delivery vehicles are
in and out of the lot multiple times.
Delivery vehicles normally gone from the lot
during peak tourist-usage may be
intermittently parked in the lot during peak
tourist-usage.
Routes may have multiple delivery vehicles
parked in the lot.
Delivery vehicle not being actively
loaded/unloaded for longer periods.
Changes to Parking Lot Usage Due to Town Ordinance
In 2025, the below also happened:
Event Impact on Post Office Parking Lot Usage
11. Town of Estes Requires Delivery Vehicles to
be parked across town overnight.
Delivery vehicles are generally in the lot the
same during the day. They are generally not in
the lot from 5 pm to 7 am.
Approximately five to seven personal vehicles
are not parked in the lot during the day. They
are parked at the Museum Annex instead.
In some cases, personal vehicles are in the lot
longer.
Delivery vehicles not being actively
loaded/unloaded for about the same amount of
time. In some cases, longer.
When Carriers Arrive/Leave the Parking Lot
This will vary from route to route and from day to day. Each route contract delineates the following
times: a) when to start work, b) when to leave the post office for on-street delivery, c) when to return to
the post office after delivery, d) when to complete tasks at the post office and leave for the day.
However, these times are not useful for making parking decisions.
Ultimately, what determines the start, leave for street, return from street and end times is the volume of
mail/packages, plus whatever unexpected events occur during the day.
Page 17 of 32
Think of it this way:
If handling every piece, every day means a carrier arrives in the parking lot at 6:30 am to start, visits
the parking lot multiple times during the day to load additional items, and finally finishes and leaves
the parking lot at 12:30 am the next morning – then that is what happens – regardless of the times in the
contract. 13
Basic Carrier Tasks Performed, Referenced to Use of Parking Lot 14
On each route the following tasks will be performed daily, but not necessarily in this linear order:
Tasks Delivery Vehicle
Being Actively
Loaded/Unloaded
Delivery
Vehicle in
Lot
Personal
Vehicle in
Lot
Sorting and organizing mail into order for
delivery on the street. This includes forwarding
mail, returning mail and holding mail.
No Yes Yes
Pulling down mail in the correct order for
delivery on the street. Organizing smaller
packages for on-street delivery may also occur.
No Yes Yes
Loading the delivery vehicle with mail and
packages. Loading is often the first time carriers
see addresses on packages. Packages that are
forwarded, returned or held are then taken back
into the post office for additional processing.
Note: there is not enough space in the post office
to store a sufficient number of package cages for
the volume of packages. This means that carriers
will need to empty package cages by loading the
delivery vehicles, even when they are not ready
Part of the time Yes Yes
13 By the way, these start times and end times are not made-up. There have been occasions when carriers have worked
these hours.
14 For this section, assume delivery vehicles parked overnight in front of post office and personal vehicles are parked in
front of post office during the day.
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Tasks Delivery Vehicle
Being Actively
Loaded/Unloaded
Delivery
Vehicle in
Lot
Personal
Vehicle in
Lot
to leave for the street. Delivery vehicles are
loaded in stages, so that sorting clerks have
equipment in which to place additional sorted
items. In other words, loading is not necessarily
done all at once or once a day.
On-street delivery of mail and packages.No No Yes
End-of-the-day unloading and processing, after
returning from street-delivery.
Part of the time Yes Yes
Tasks performed on a non-daily basis include updating line – of – travel books, updating labels on
sorting cases, cleaning and organizing work space, trainings and meetings. (Vehicles not being actively
loaded/unloaded. Personal vehicle in lot).
Route Management Scenarios and Parking Lot Usage15
A variety of strategies are used by carriers to get the job done. This year, strategies have fallen into four
basic categories. Of course, depending on what unexpected events occur (particularly event 6 above),
future strategies are unknown.
15 For this section, assume delivery vehicles park overnight in front of post office and personal vehicles are parked in front
of post office during the day.
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Scenario A: Delivery vehicle only
One carrier works on a route with no assistance from another carrier. That one carrier also drives their
delivery vehicle to and from their residence. The only vehicle that uses the parking lot is the delivery
vehicle and no personal vehicle is parked in the lot. (How does a commercial loading permit that
requires active loading/unloading, work for this carrier? This is the carrier who uses the parking lot
least and is also least able to comply with the loading permit requirements).
Scenario B: One delivery vehicle and one personal vehicle
One carrier works on one route with no assistance from another carrier. That carrier drives a personal
vehicle to the post office lot and then uses the delivery vehicle which has been left parked at the post
office.
Scenario C: More than two vehicles
Two or more carriers work on one route at the same time. Usually this occurs on the busiest day of the
week (Monday), after holidays and after Amazon Prime Days. Route tasks are split between carriers.
Some carriers are out delivering packages while other carriers are inside sorting mail and packages. Not
all carriers will drive a delivery vehicle. Some will just drive to the post office and park their personal
vehicle in the lot while they work inside for two to four hours. Carriers with handicap tags on their
personal vehicles are likely part of this scenario. Of course, not all carriers who work part-days are
handicapped. In this scenario, usage of the parking lot is heaviest in the mornings. The delivery vehicle
makes multiple visits to the parking lot during the day to load/unload.
On average, over the week:
25% of the routes use only Scenario A – one delivery vehicle, no personal vehicle.
16.67% of the routes use only Scenario B – one delivery vehicle, one personal vehicle.
25% of the routes use only Scenario C – one to two delivery vehicles, two to three personal
vehicles in the morning. Generally down to one delivery vehicle, one personal vehicle in the
afternoon.
8.33% of the routes use Scenario A, B and C.
25% of the routes use Scenario B and C.
What determines which scenario is used on a route?
A local contract owner/manager who also delivers on a route the full day = likely to drive
delivery vehicle to/from residence. More likely Scenario A.
More mail and package volume on a route usually = more carriers. More likely Scenario C.
Multiple route contracts are owned/managed by one person, or a non-local owner = more
carriers. More likely Scenario B and/or C.
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Employment market and cost of living means difficulty finding carriers who want/can work a
full-day and/or six days a week = more carriers. More likely Scenario B and C.
Mail and Package Volume Impact on Parking Lot Usage
Volume is a key factor influencing parking lot usage on a day-to-day basis.
Average Volume by Day
In this report, volume at the post office is averaged as follows:
Sundays/Holidays Mondays/Days After Holidays/
After Amazon Prime Days
Tuesdays – Saturdays
Usually no work, or only half-
days of work. Least usage of
parking lot.
Lots of volume, heaviest usage of
parking lot.
Generally, volume is the same
across these days and parking lot
usage is about the same.
Average Volume by Month
Probably everyone knows that December is a busy month due to Christmas volume. In Estes Park,
summertime is even busier than the Christmas season. When seasonal residents arrive back in Estes
after sojourning elsewhere for the winter, package and mail volume increases significantly and for a
longer period of time. In addition to seasonal residents, there are seasonal employees, summer camps,
and visitors. All of whom, increase the volume and complexity of handling mail and packages.
Why is this important?
The carriers’ busiest times are the Town’s busiest tourism times. Except for the month of December
when there are not as many tourists in town.
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Average Usage of the Post Office (Baldwin) Lot by Hour and Day16
The post office parking lot has 88 parking spots. This section compares average usage of the lot when carriers park overnight in front of the
post office to average usage of the lot when carriers do not park overnight in front of the post office.
About eight delivery vehicles,
Four back-up vehicles,
Zero personal vehicles
Zero vehicles
16 Data gathered by polling carriers.
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Peak of 10 delivery vehicles
around 8 am.
Peak of 14 personal vehicles
around 10 am.
On average, two back-up
vehicles are used for deliveries
on these days.
Peak of eight delivery vehicles
around 8 am
Peak of five personal vehicles
around 10 am.
On average, two back-up vehicles
are used for deliveries on these
days and will be in the lot.
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Peak of nine delivery vehicles
around 8 am.
Peak of 10 personal vehicles
between 10am to 11 am.
On average, four back-up
vehicles in the lot throughout the
day
Peak of seven delivery vehicles
around 8 am.
Peak of three personal vehicles
around 8 am to 11 am.
On average, zero back-up vehicles in
the lot throughout the day
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Common Tragedies & Coping Strategies
Tragedy 1: Insufficient Keys Resulting in Multiple Trips To and From the Post Office
This tragedy occurred mostly during the beginning of the season, but persists in some cases to the
present day. About 35% of the routes have multiple carriers working on the route. For example, three
carriers may use one vehicle over six work days. At the beginning of the season, keys for each delivery
vehicle were at the post office overnight.
Scenario: Carrier A arrived at the post office in her personal vehicle and picked up the delivery vehicle
key. She drove across town and left her personal vehicle at the Museum Annex. She drove the delivery
vehicle back to the post office and completed the work day. She drove the delivery vehicle to the
Museum Annex lot and left it there. She got into her personal vehicle, drove back to the post office
with the key to the delivery van and left the key at the post office. This is four trips across town in one
day. Post office staff stayed late at the post office to allow access to the building during this process.
This led to coping strategy 1.
Coping Strategy 1: Buy Duplicate Keys and Give One to Each Carrier
Some of the contractors attempted to solve this problem by buying duplicate keys at significant cost to
themselves. Many of the keys were chip keys and had to be programmed to each vehicle. The
contractors gave these extra keys to each carrier using a vehicle so that the carrier would not need to
make extra trips to and from the post office couriering keys. This reduced the trips across town to two
trips, in most cases.
Carriers who worked on multiple routes across the week ended up with multiple delivery van keys.
Scenario: However, the carriers working only four hours a week on one day were not given extra keys
(the cost of keys being so high). Those carriers continued to make four trips on the days they worked.
Scenario: Carrier A works together with Carrier B to deliver one route. Carrier A drives directly to the
post office in his personal vehicle and gets to work. Carrier B drives directly to the Museum Annex in
his personal vehicle, starting later in the day than Carrier A. Carrier B leaves his personal vehicle at the
Museum Annex. He uses the extra key he has been given and drives the delivery vehicle to the post
office. When the work is done Carrier A leaves the post office in his personal vehicle while Carrier B
drives the delivery vehicle back to the Museum Annex. This works alright until one morning Carrier B
sprains his ankle before arriving at work and Carrier A does not have a key to the delivery vehicle.
Coping Strategy 1 led to Tragedy 2.
Tragedy 2: Unauthorized Use of Delivery Vehicles
And so it happened that one night a carrier with access to multiple keys drove multiple delivery
vehicles without the knowledge of the contractors and one of the vehicles was totaled in a crash.
Leading to Coping Strategy 2.
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Coping Strategy 2: Reduce Access to Multiple Keys
Lock Boxes for Keys
Lock boxes receive a unanimous “NO” from every contractor in the office. The security risks of having
keys to multiple vehicles available to anyone with access to the lock box(es) are too high. Add in the high
turnover of carriers and it becomes even more difficult to manage security.
Tragedy 3: Stranded Without a Vehicle
How do carriers know it takes 25 minutes to walk from the post office to the Museum Annex? They know
because they have walked the distance multiple times.
Scenario: Carrier A works alone on a route. He arrives at the Museum Annex, leaves his personal vehicle
there and drives the delivery van to the post office. Part-way through the day, he becomes ill with heat
exhaustion. He drives back to the post office and leaves the delivery vehicle there. Carrier C leaves her
route to drive him home. His personal vehicle is left at the Museum Annex until he recovers sufficiently to
get a ride and drive it home. In the meantime, Carrier B arrives to complete the route. He parks his personal
vehicle in front of the post office because that is where the delivery vehicle is parked. He finishes the route.
He drives the delivery van to the Museum Annex lot and is now stranded since his personal vehicle is at the
post office. In this case, he is unwilling to walk, so Carrier C leaves her route again, drives to the Museum
Annex, picks up Carrier B and drives him across town to the post office to get his personal vehicle. Carrier
C returns to finish delivery on her route.
Scenario: Carrier A works with Carrier B to deliver a route. Carrier B works only in the morning delivering
packages so that Carrier A’s workload is lighter. Carrier A and B arrive at the Museum Annex in their
personal vehicles and drive together in the delivery vehicle to the post office. Carrier B uses the delivery
vehicle to deliver packages, finishes his work and is then stranded at the post office with no vehicle to drive
to the Museum Annex. Shall Carrier A, who expects to work 12 hours that day (for the same fixed rate as
any other day) and finish around 8 pm that night, stop his work to drive Carrier B back across town?
Coping Strategy 3: Leave Delivery Vehicle in Post Office Lot Until Someone is Available to
Drive it Across Town
On occasion, when both the personal vehicle and delivery vehicle end up in the post office lot the carrier
will leave the delivery vehicle in the lot and drive their personal vehicle home. The contract owner will then
return to the lot with another person later in the day to drive the delivery vehicle across town to the Museum
Annex. This is one way in which a delivery vehicle ends up in the post office lot, not being actively
loaded/unloaded for a longer period of time.
Tragedy 4: Vehicle Breakdown
On some days, a vehicle breaks down. A flat tire, a dead battery, or a more serious problem would result in
six trips across town in one day. Back-up vehicle keys are not duplicated and handed out to all possible
drivers. Driving a delivery vehicle to a shop for maintenance? More than two trips a day.
Scenario: Carrier A works alone on a route. She arrives at the Museum Annex, leaves her personal vehicle
there and drives the delivery van to the post office. The delivery van will not start again after being parked
at the post office. Carrier A is now stranded. Her personal vehicle and her back-up vehicle are both across
town at the Museum Annex.
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Impact of Each Proposal on Relevant Parking Lots
Current Situation – Carriers park overnight at the Museum Annex
See pages 22 -24.
Proposal I – Carriers park overnight in the post office parking lot
See pages 8, 22-24
Proposal II – Carriers park overnight along E. Riverside Dr with back-up vehicles in the Davis Lot
Basically, impact on the post office parking lot is the same as vehicles parking overnight at the Museum Annex. See pages 22 – 24. The
Davis Lot has 43 parking spots and is free parking. Approximately four back-up delivery vehicles that would be in the lot. This chart does
not include the four spots that Green Jeep Tours would use if they parked in the lot overnight.
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This chart shows the Davis Lot with four back-up delivery vehicles and four Green Jeep vehicles parked overnight in the Davis. Wildside
would use one spot in the East Riverside Lot overnight.
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Proposal III – Carriers park overnight in the Davis Lot
The impact on the post office parking lot is the same as if carriers are parking overnight at the Museum Annex. See pages 22 – 24. If Green
Jeep Tours also parked overnight in this lot, they would use approximately four parking spots. As mentioned before, Wildside 4 x 4 Tours has
a warehouse where they park overnight, so they would not be using the Davis Lot. They would only use one parking spot overnight in the
East Riverside lot.
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Policy 842 Parking Permits – Commercial Loading Permits
A copy of the policy is included below for the convenience of those reading this report.
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Letters From Carriers
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