Editorial

Extraordinary times demand extraordinary service

Posted 12/23/20

Santa’s helpers were hard at work Saturday.

The line of delivery trucks along Governor Drive in the Stewart Airport Industrial Park was, in a word, astonishing. The line stretched more than …

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Editorial

Extraordinary times demand extraordinary service

Posted

Santa’s helpers were hard at work Saturday.

The line of delivery trucks along Governor Drive in the Stewart Airport Industrial Park was, in a word, astonishing. The line stretched more than a mile, as FedEx, US Postal Service and other delivery vehicles spilled out onto Route 17K. The last Saturday prior to Christmas was a busy one.

CBS News reported last week that an estimated 6 million packages a day are piling up in retailers’ warehouses or shipping centers and awaiting pick up by FedEx, UPS, Amazon, the U.S. Postal Service and other shippers. The record volume owes much of its existence to the pandemic: we’ve learned that more things can be done from the comfort of home, including Christmas shopping.

As we all know, it’s been a challenging year for the people who work in the shipping industry. Record volumes and in some cases, a shortage of help created by COVID has taken its toll. Delivery people are essential workers who don’t work remotely. They brave the elements and the long hours to get your packages delivered in time for the holidays. Sunday deliveries, once unimaginable, are now common place.

So if your package comes later than expected, don’t take your frustrations out on the delivery person. Show him or her some appreciation during this holiday season.

Timely deliveries would not be possible without the efforts of those who keep our streets and highways clear during winter. A winter storm last week brought more than a foot of snow to our region. That’s more than we received all of last winter. Our road crews from the City of Newburgh Department of Public Works, the Town of Newburgh and New Windsor Departments of Public Works, the New York State Department of Transportation and the Orange County Department of Public Works all did an outstanding job in making our roads passable. While we are often critical of our DPW workers, we also need to recognize when they rise to the challenge, as they did this week.

They, like all of our essential workers, deserve our thanks and best wishes this holiday season.