Form Letter to Send to USPS

Below is a form letter to request a ZIP code boundary change for Lake Shawnee.  The US Postal Service district manager has the authority to address such a request.  The five CC's (carbon copies) are to inform affected parties, as well as hopefully obtain similar requests from the Jefferson Township Town Council and our district Congressman, which should go a long way in helping the cause.

Copy and paste this form letter to Microsoft Word or another word processing app.  Feel free to modify the template as suits your needs, and don't forget to add your name and address to the letters when you mail them out.



United States Postal Service
494 Broad Street, Room 307
Newark, NJ  07102-9300
Attn: Steven Hernandez – District Manager


Date


Mr. Hernandez:

In reviewing the CRS Report for Congress – Order Code RL33488, dated June 23, 2006, I would like to formally request a ZIP code boundary change. 

The Lake Shawnee Reservation is a section within Jefferson Township, NJ containing approximately 550 households.  Jefferson Township is served by several post offices: Newfoundland (07435), Oak Ridge (07438), Lake Hopatcong (07849), and Wharton (07885).  The Lake Shawnee Reservation is currently served by the Wharton, NJ 07885 post office.  My request is to change the ZIP code serving the Lake Shawnee Reservation from Wharton, NJ  07885 to Lake Hopatcong, NJ  07849.

Lake Hopatcong, NJ  07849 has a post office 2.5 miles away from The Lake Shawnee Reservation by vehicle, whereas the Wharton, NJ  07885 post office is 5.2 miles away by vehicle.  Additionally, The Lake Shawnee Reservation has two entrances and one exit by vehicle.  The homes surrounding the methods of egress and ingress are served by the Lake Hopatcong, NJ  07849 post office, making such a change presumably more efficient for the US Postal Service.

Furthermore, Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849 is not a municipality, but is generally known to be the municipality of Jefferson Township, NJ.  Wharton, NJ 07885 is both a mailing address and municipality.  The association of Wharton, NJ to The Lake Shawnee Reservation in Jefferson Township has numerous implications.

This ZIP code change request is being made for the above reasons, in addition to several of the reasons identified in the CRS Report for Congress, including but not limited to:
  • Lack of Proper Community Identity
  • Confusion in Voting Location and Congressional District
  • Misdirected Property Tax Remittances and Municipal Service Accuracy
  • Property Value Association
  • Problems with Navigation/Directions
Lastly, the compromise of changing the city name on the last line of the address is not a suitable solution as it does not adequately address the primary concerns outlined above.  Additionally, nearly all computer systems that have ZIP code data associate ZIP code 07885 with Wharton, NJ and do not have a second association to Jefferson Township or the Lake Shawnee Reservation.

I encourage you to provide a determination on this request within 60 days.  I look forward to your response and appreciate you taking the time to address this concern.  I also request the Jefferson Township Town Council (cc’d) to address and/or support this request and to submit a similar request on the community’s behalf.  Lastly, I request Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (cc’d) to address as appropriate.



Sincerely,


Name

cc:        
Jefferson Township
Attn: Town Council
1033 Weldon Road
Lake Hopatcong, NJ  07849

Lake Hopatcong Post Office
Attn: Postmaster
700 NJ-15 South
Lake Hopatcong, NJ  07849

Wharton Post Office
Attn: Postmaster
350 N Main St., Suite 7
Wharton, NJ  07885

US Postal Service – Dover Annex
Attn: Postmaster
319 Richard Mine Road
Dover, NJ  07801

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen
30 Schuyler Place, Second Floor
Morristown, NJ  07960