(Ed. Note: The following letter was sent to Congressman Peter King and is printed here at the author's request.)

I am contacting you about the many local US mailboxes that have recently been taken out of service by the US Post Office, and because the postal service is a federal matter. The US mailbox is, unfortunately, becoming an endangered species.

The loss of numerous mailboxes is very inconvenient for postal customers and makes it difficult for citizens who want to support and patronize the US Post Office. This is also a "quality of life" issue.

I frequently use the postal service to mail business letters and personal cards. In approximately the last two years, the following US mailboxes that were located in Farmingdale and which I often used, have now vanished.

Farmingdale Locations:

1. Northwest corner of the intersection of Main Street and South Front Street (next to the former Downtown Club)

2. Vicinity of the intersection of Jefferson Road and Lafayette Road

3. Northwest corner of the intersection of Hempstead Turnpike and

Merritt Road (next to the former Fulton Street Pub)

4. Melville Road, in the vicinity of the Balcom Road intersection

5. Melville Road, in the vicinity of the Oak Street intersection

6. Northwest corner of the intersection of Route 110 and Daniel Street (near Ruby Tuesday's restaurant)

7. Northeast corner of Route 110 in the vicinity of the Spagnoli Road intersection

These are just some of the removed mailboxes I've noticed, and there may well be others I've overlooked. There are not many mailboxes remaining. People now have to go out of their way to find mailboxes. Local residents can now drive for long stretches along major roads such as Route 110, one of the most important roads on Long Island and Melville Road, a major connecting road between Route 110 and Hempstead Turnpike (a major thoroughfare), without sighting a single US mailbox.

The price of stamps is constantly increasing, yet the level of service is declining. What is going on here?

Now local residents have to hunt and search to find a mailbox to use. This is definitely a problem that undermines the continued viability of the US Post Office and is very detrimental to providing service to postal customers. The Long Island region is a booming area, one of the most densely populated in the nation. We need our mailboxes! I dread seeing any more removed.

Please look into this matter and work to ensure that no other mailboxes are taken out of service. Further, the mailboxes removed from the above several locations should be replaced for the benefit of the public.

Thank you for your anticipated attention to this matter.

Joyce W. Behr