Bennet, Hickenlooper, Hurd, Neguse Fight for Solutions to Improve USPS Access in Rural Colorado Communities

May 7, 2026 | Press Releases

Denver - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet led Senator John Hickenlooper and Representatives Jeff Hurd and Joe Neguse in sending a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner and U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors Chair Amber McReynolds to highlight opportunities for the USPS to partner with Colorado's mountain towns to address facility constraints and staffing shortages.

"Colorado's mountain communities have shared their solutions to improve service, reduce USPS costs, and address critical community needs. They are ready to help identify suitable parcels and buildings for USPS facilities, provide accurate timelines and cost estimates for facility improvements, and collaborate on resolving the staffing shortages common in these areas," the lawmakers wrote.

The letter follows a January meeting between Bennet, Congressional lawmakers, Postmaster General Steiner, Board Chair McReynolds, and Colorado's mountain towns, where Colorado lawmakers highlighted several opportunities for USPS to partner with local municipalities on mutually beneficial solutions. These opportunities include redeveloping existing USPS facilities in partnership with community partners, creating workforce housing to combat recruitment and retention challenges in Colorado's high cost-of-living communities, and providing space in its municipal buildings to address PO box shortages, among others.

"We are encouraged by January's productive conversation with you and feel hopeful that it marks the beginning of improved communication. The localities of Colorado's Western Slope have experienced many difficulties, from unexpected facility closures and long wait times to substandard service and unreliable mail access. We appreciate your continued work with these communities to ensure lease continuity and reliable service and delivery. We also understand that staffing and facility upgrades are more challenging problems that will require creative solutions, especially in our high-cost mountain towns. We are also hopeful the USPS will continue to work with these communities as well as those towns in Colorado with unresolved lease issues, such as the Town of Poncha Springs," continued the lawmakers.

"Colorado's mountain communities were glad to hear you request their help in identifying collaborative solutions. We are grateful for your willingness to partner on many existing local opportunities and hope this list is a useful starting point. We urge the USPS to move quickly to engage with these communities. We look forward to the continued partnership to improve the experience of USPS customers throughout Colorado," concluded the lawmakers.

The conversation with local municipalities followed Bennet's invitation to Postmaster General Steiner to visit Colorado to understand the longstanding difficulties Colorado's mountain communities experience with mail delivery. Bennet has championed efforts to improve postal service to Colorado's mountain communities, including calling for changes following a 2023 Office of Inspector General report that found staffing shortages, delivery delays, and inefficient mail sorting. In 2024, Bennet called on USPS to refund PO Box fees for Steamboat Springs residents, and in 2025, Bennet helped the Town of Crested Butte secure a lease extension for its post office, which faced imminent closure.

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Postmaster General Steiner and Board Chair McReynolds:

Thank you for meeting with Colorado's mountain communities in January. The community leaders were grateful to share more about the challenges they face due to U.S. Postal Service (USPS) staffing shortages, facility constraints, and the absence of home delivery. As the USPS continues to modernize, these communities are willing and ready partners to tackle these issues.

Colorado's mountain communities have shared their solutions to improve service, reduce USPS costs, and address critical community needs. They are ready to help identify suitable parcels and buildings for USPS facilities, provide accurate timelines and cost estimates for facility improvements, and collaborate on resolving the staffing shortages common in these areas.

Our offices have identified several opportunities for the USPS to partner with local municipalities for mutually beneficial solutions. We outline these opportunities below and look forward to working with you to implement them.

Vail

The current USPS facility in the Town of Vail was designed as a regional distribution facility, but now only serves as a retail and local postal pickup site. The post office building and the lot it sits on are oversized for the current services. The Town of Vail is interested in partnering with you to redevelop the site to provide workforce housing, including for USPS employees.

Frisco

Frisco's Main Street post office is a one-story building on a large lot. However, the site has potential for higher-density mixed-use. The USPS and the Town of Frisco could partner on a future redevelopment that could include first-floor commercial retail shops, multi-floor office spaces, or multiple housing units, including dedicated housing for USPS employees. Additionally, Xcel Energy, Frisco's main energy provider, plans to conduct a utility-scale geothermal energy pilot program. The Post Office sits in the zone of participation for the pilot and could receive free utility upgrades, heating, and cooling through the program.

Dillon

Similar to Frisco, the post office in Dillon is a one-story building on a large lot in the center of town. The Town of Dillon is interested in partnering with USPS to redevelop for higher-density mixed-use, commercial, and residential development. As part of a redevelopment effort, the Town could reserve housing units for USPS employees, which would help with recruitment and retention.

Keystone

The majority of Keystone residents must travel to Dillon for postal services because USPS does not offer home delivery to most of the town. However, the Dillon Post Office is out of P.O. boxes, and, as a result, residents are forced to wait in long lines for general delivery mail, which is often challenging or impossible for the local workforce. The Town of Keystone is willing to provide space in its municipal buildings for a Post Office or Contracted Postal Unit (CPU). The town has also offered to contribute to the cost of cluster box units (CBUs) to facilitate home delivery for residents.

Crested Butte

We appreciate USPS's work to extend the Town of Crested Butte's lease in 2025. While the renewed lease removes the threat of immediate loss of postal services, the current post office is too small for the current population and causes traffic issues. The town has offered land to USPS for a mixed-use development that could include housing and a larger post office. The development could prioritize housing for postal service employees and reduce USPS's operational costs, while addressing longstanding challenges at the current post office location.

Gypsum

USPS undertook an analysis for an "alternate quarters" project for the Gypsum Post Office in 2022 and 2023 in recognition that the existing facility is in a state of disrepair and too small to serve the town's growing population. The agency determined that a relocation is necessary and partnered with the Town of Gypsum to identify a new location and plan for the development of a new post office, in accordance with USPS facility requirements and specifications. After many years of planning, and with partners ready to proceed with development, USPS inexplicably paused the project in late 2025, despite the developer's offers to offset the agency's relocation costs and reduce rental payment amounts. During our January call, Postmaster General Steiner indicated that USPS would be eager to explore just such partnerships to assist USPS in improving postal service to Colorado's mountain communities, yet USPS has declined to engage with the Town in a meaningful way.

We are encouraged by January's productive conversation with you and feel hopeful that it marks the beginning of improved communication. The localities of Colorado's Western Slope have experienced many difficulties, from unexpected facility closures and long wait times to substandard service and unreliable mail access. We appreciate your continued work with these communities to ensure lease continuity and reliable service and delivery. We also understand that staffing and facility upgrades are more challenging problems that will require creative solutions, especially in our high-cost mountain towns. We are also hopeful the USPS will continue to work with these communities as well as those towns in Colorado with unresolved lease issues, such as the Town of Poncha Springs.

Colorado's mountain communities were glad to hear you request their help in identifying collaborative solutions. We are grateful for your willingness to partner on many existing local opportunities and hope this list is a useful starting point. We urge the USPS to move quickly to engage with these communities. We look forward to the continued partnership to improve the experience of USPS customers throughout Colorado.

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