ST. MARTIN PARISH — After more than a year of waiting, residents in Henderson will finally have access to mailboxes at the old City Hall. This marks a long-awaited change for the community, who have had to deal with the inconvenience of not having mailboxes after the town's post office closed.
For many residents, including Joyce Schmeltzer, the lack of mailboxes has caused significant hardship. Schmeltzer, who has had multiple hip surgeries and can no longer drive, says she has had to rely on others to pick up her mail. “I’m very pleased with that because it’s been a hardship for Henderson since our post office shut down. People without cars have to rely on other people to pick up their mail in Breaux Bridge, and it’s just a problem,” she said. “I have to rely on my cousin to pick up my mail or the lady that takes care of me, she has to go pick up my mail. It’s just a hardship.”
The situation has been difficult for many residents in Henderson, but with the installation of 130 mailboxes at the old City Hall, those challenges will soon be over. Mayor Sherbin Collette shared how the city was able to secure the new mailboxes after being denied by the Postal Service multiple times. "Congressman Higgins went to Washington, and went to the postmaster general and asked for help, and he came out with something, so we started working on it, and we’re gonna get mailboxes now. It’ll be a cluster of mailboxes. It’s not 100% what I wanted. I wanted another post office, but they say in time we may get that." Colette says.
For Kyle McNew, one of the residents of Henderson, the new mailboxes will be a relief. He shared that for the past year,traveling to Breaux Bridge to pick up his mail has been inconvenient. "It’s great, it’s gonna be right there like before, so it’s not an inconvenience anymore," McNew said.
Senior resident Ferdie Wiltz, who is 91 years old, also sees the new mailboxes as a positive step for the community. "I’m 91 years old, I don’t have very many years to pick up mail, but I have kids and grandkids, and it just wasn’t right to go to Breaux Bridge to pick up mail every day," he said.
The installation of the mailboxes was made possible thanks to the efforts of Congressman Clay Higgins, who worked with the postmaster in Breaux Bridge to secure the contract for the new service. Mayor Collette expressed his gratitude for Higgins' involvement. "Higgins went overboard with what he did for us. He’s the one that got them here, to tell you the truth," Collette said.
The mailboxes are expected to be installed at the old City Hall this month.
