Most of us come home from work, find our door key, turn the lock, open our mailboxes and grab our mail.

If you're looking for a new house, that daily routine may change.

The U.S. Postal Service is installing compartmentalized mailbox units - those big boxes with spaces for everyone's mail - in all new developments in the Casper area.

Don't panic. If you like your current mail delivery and have no visions of moving to a new development, your mail status won't be altered.

The new boxes are only for new neighborhoods. Changing established areas with traditional mail delivery to begin using big collective boxes requires the postal service collect signatures from every neighborhood resident.

Michael Kelly, the officer in charge of the Casper Post Office, said the new system gives residents, "sanctity of the mail. It gives them security in their facilities. If they are receiving a parcel, it goes into a lock key box they can only use."

He said most people enjoy the new boxes.

Some people, of course, would prefer to always have curbside delivery, but Kelly said he thinks the positives outweigh the negatives of the change.

The postal service requested the Casper City Council's permission to place the self-contained, pedestal-mounted mailboxes on city streets during a Monday night work session.

Opinions on the boxes at the session were varied, but all agreed they wanted to speak with a postal service representative.

Kelly will talk to the city council during a Jan. 31 work session about the ongoing changes.

Contact Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com