To the Editor:

I am a Washington native who now lives in northern Virginia. I enjoy reading the web version of the WDN and keeping up with things “back home.”

I was sad and also a bit angry to read about the poor condition of the Chocowinity post office and parking lot.

My father, Shelton Winstead, was the postmaster in Chocowinity for quite a few years. He loved the people there and felt they deserved a better office than the small, cramped facility tucked away behind a gas station. Daddy lobbied the Postal Service for years trying to convince them of the need for a larger, better post office in Chocowinity … and he succeeded. The new office was not constructed until after my Daddy retired, but he was there when the ribbon-cutting took place to open the new post office. He was so proud of the new facility. I think it would break his heart to see that facility now.

When the old post office was still in use, Daddy would often go back to work in the evenings to mop the lobby or spruce up the few shrubs around the building. He took pride in that little place and felt he had a responsibility to make sure it stayed clean and tidy.

Apparently, that is not the mindset of the current postmaster or employees. The USPS is definitely in a financial crisis, and obviously facility maintenance has taken a “back seat,” but why do the post office employees not take the initiative to “spruce up” their surroundings? It doesn’t take a lot of effort to pick up a piece of trash, trim a shrub, mop a floor and the like. There is too much “it’s not my job” and not enough “let’s make this better.”

My Daddy passed away four years ago. I miss him terribly, but I am glad he is not here to see the neglect that has overtaken the facility he worked so hard to secure for the people of Chocowinity.

Thank you for allowing me to speak my mind.

Susan Winstead Dove

Orange, Va.