presstalk 671-TALK (8255) or editor@farragutpress.com
• I am unaware of the latest considerations of the renovation of the Campbell (Station Road) wall near the (Farragut High) School entrance. Painting the wall in earth tones, of greens and browns, would be a practical, economic and pleasing remedy. It would be critical to get the right kind of paint.
The improvements at the intersection of Campbell Station Road and Kingston Pike are great, and I look forward to their completions.
• A little info from two retired postal workers with 65-plus years of service between them: they cannot “get another clerk” to sell stamps at the window when the line is out the door. There are no “other clerks.” Someone has to come in early to sort the mail for the post office boxes in the lobby and get it into the boxes by the deadline (or there are complaints about how long it takes). Somebody has to make regular dashes to the drop boxes in the drive-through to make sure all of the mail gets onto the truck at the designated time. Somebody has to be available to maintain the kiosk after all of us are done slapping and kicking it in frustration. Someone has to write second notices to folks who have not picked up their parcels or signature-required mail. Someone has to meet the trucks that back-up to the dock and help unload incoming mail and load all of the outgoing mail. Nobody gets to skip the lunch break – they are not allowed to work more than six hours without that break (it’s the law). And some of them manage to scramble through the back to the restrooms, grab a bite-sized Snickers and swallow it whole on the way back to the window and then call it a break. And don’t you know they dread putting up that “Next Window” sign when customers are waiting for service. They are masters at calm demeanor and kind words, no matter how they are treated. And there we all are, making comments just loud enough for the rest of the lobby to hear regarding lack of help, slow transactions, general annoyance at how we are being inconvenienced. We come in with parcels that need addressed and sealed (and we ask the window clerks to seal them for us), we argue with them when we don’t get the answers we want, and roll our eyes in disgust. And they just keep smiling, slogging their way through another holiday season. Farragut has an outstanding crew and they manage to rise above the chaos. Kudos to them.
