Mailbox battle in Chesterfield's Brandermill brings protest - NBC12 - WWBT - Richmond, VA News On Your Side

By Gene Petriello - bio | email

CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - People living in the Brandermill community in Chesterfield County are upset after being told they have to buy a new mailbox. So, they are protesting by painting their mailboxes yellow.

Day by day, more of the yellow boxes are popping up. In fact, one more for our camera early this morning. They are standing out in a community making a big visual statement about a decision that hits their wallet. But it's a decision that the community association board says has been publicized for months, like in the community newspaper.

They are hard to miss -- one yellow box after another. When-Dee Morrison spearheaded this protest.

"They definitely stand out. It doesn't go with our park-like setting," Morrison said.

This, just days after the Brandermill Community Association decided each home in this community must get this new mailbox. Those boxes would cost $155.

"It's not about paying the money. It's not about the actual change. 3,800 new mailboxes will probably look wonderful. It's the entire principle that the people have spoken and the board disregarded it," Morrison added.

That board is headed by Joyce Rowe. She lives in this community and admits about 14 people of the 20 that spoke at the meeting last week, were against the new mailboxes.

"The board felt like there was a number of residents that wanted to upgrade and update their mailboxes," Rowe said.

She adds, that this change, along with plans to spruce up other parts of the neighborhood would improve the community.

Rowe says the price of the new boxes are cheaper than fixing a broken old one.

Since everyone living here does sign an agreement to follow the rules of the community -- and the board's decisions -- these yellow boxes are a violation of community policy.

"They will be receiving violation notices and so much time to comply," Rowe said.

If not, that could mean fines of up to $10 per day. But for now, the fight will go on and Morrison is even pushing the message on her Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the board is standing firm by their decision.

Now we're told that if people with these yellow mailboxes do not pay what they owe from those possible fines, the community association could bring them to circuit court.

No timeframe on when those new mailboxes will be installed has been released.

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