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property owner including, but not limited to trees, shrubs, landscaping materials. Decorative rock, brick walls, and lawn/landscaping irrigation (sprinkler heads) systems. The City will not repair/replace sod damaged due to the application of sand. salt, or other deicing chemicals. Certain private improvements such as mailboxes are required within this area; therefore the City will cooperate with property owners in the event of damaged private property. The City shall specify when this damage is the responsibility of the City and when it shall be the responsibility of the resident. Mailboxes and supports are the property of the mail route patron and must be installed and maintained by their owner, who must bear the liability for them. Since mailboxes must be located in the road right-of-way in order to be accessed by postal service, certain regulations apply for the safety of the driving public as well as for the protection of the mailboxes themselves. Federal postal regulations require the mailbox patron to remove any obstructions, including snow, which make delivery difficult. Using one of the approved mailbox supports is highly recommended, as it will allow clearing under or near the mailbox without damage during a normal plowing operation. When there is a heavy accumulation of snow, the location of mailboxes close to the roadway makes the push back operations of the City's Operations and MaintenancePublic Works workers staff difficult and renders the boxes quite susceptible to damage as a result of plowing operations. It shall be the City's policy to use special care and consideration when plowing snow in the vicinity of mailboxes. State law now requires all mailbox supports be of a breakaway design. Mailboxes can be especially vulnerable to damage from show removal operations. The City assumes liability for mailboxes damaged during plowing, if it is determined that the plow did make direct contact with a mailbox that was properly placed and under the approved guidelines. To be properly placed, a mailbox should be installed so that its bottom edge is 45" to 48" above street level, with the post 48" back from the curb or front of the box. That amount of clearance is necessary to keep the plow's wing from hitting the box. If there are any plastic newspaper tubes attached to the mailbox, they must also be above the minimum 45" height requirement. The box’s post should be securely in the ground. If mailboxes are not installed with the proper clearance mentioned above, the responsibility for repairing any damage lies with the homeowner, not the City. The City will replace standard metal mailboxes that are installed properly on an approved swing- away post. The City WILL NOT pay the replacement cost for a decorative mailbox.