Rural Mail Delivery by a Grumman LLV

June 26, 2026

Since moving to rural Prattsburgh, NY in 2007, I have never seen the use of this type of truck to deliver mail here- until today.

USPS Grumman LLV

Many years ago, I worked for a company that deployed mobile vehicle pressure washing units to several large fleets in Central and Upstate New York.  Among these were FedEx, Gypsum Express, Commodity Services, Black Horse, Verizon, and the US Postal Service.

The work was very physically demanding, especially for the larger trucking equipment in all types of weather and, in many cases, involved the removal of any wastewater from the site.

But my favorite job was to wash the hundreds of smaller USPS vehicles on secure sites near Syracuse, and as far as Fulton, and Oswego. This required certain "security" access and obtaining the ignition keys to each vehicle. 

United States Postal Service (USPS) mail delivery trucks outside the U.S. Post Office in Hays, Kansas.

On most occasions, the USPS trucks' forward interiors were simply "wiped down,"  and the windows cleaned on the inside before exterior washing.  In certain cases, the vehicles were moved to a "wash area," which required us to drive them there, wash them, and then return them to their designated parking places.

Most of these USPS vehicles were Grumman LLV's (1987-1992). If any vehicle could be described as being beat-up daily, run to the extreme, put away wet, and somehow survive, it would be the LLV.

So when I saw a USPS Rural Mail Carrier stop at my location today, I could not believe what I was seeing.  I have never seen a "marked" USPS rural delivery vehicle in the twenty years I have been here, but there sat a marked USPS Grumman LLV!

So, I ran out there and briefly talked to the carrier, "Where did you get this?" I asked, and he told me it was "borrowed" from the Bath USPS.

The vehicle interior was filthy. I could barely see the gauges on the dashboard for all the dirt! The tires were worn, and the outside of the truck was dirty, too. "I can't believe it, it's a Grumman!" I told him.

It seemed so shockingly out of place, and I was so excited that I forgot to check my mailbox!

If the Prattsburgh, NY Post Office continues to use or "adopt" that old Grumman LLV, I will gladly volunteer to help clean it, inside and out - for FREE!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_LLV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3g2p4KKS74

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmK24VAaZrg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edPqtHPiMMk&t=635s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcFiVSElTJI

Remembering the 1976 Bicentennial Wagon Train

"As part of the Bicentennial celebration of 1976,  five separate wagon trains roamed the country to commemorate our country’s 200th birthday."

(Image: The Greenville Sun, Greenville, TN.)

The image shown above is very close to my memory of a similar portion of the Bicentennial Wagon Train as it travelled toward Pennsylvania through rural Northern Virginia on Rt. 671 (Harpers Ferry Road). 

I was an 11-year-old boy, a new "transplant" to a very different place. I was naturally curious and amazed by many things. And attempted to collect the Bicentennial memorabilia, especially the stamps and coins.

(Bicentennial Quarter Dollar Coin)

(Bicentennial Half-Dollar Coin)

(Bicentennial Dollar Coin)

(Series 1976 first day of issue $2 note with a canceled JFK postage stamp.)

And so it was for a brief period that summer, that my focus was abruptly changed from trying to comprehend the overwhelming history of the Civil War and of my sudden presence in such a historic battle area, to observing the 200th Birthday of the Country.

Meanwhile, the "Wagon Train" was coming.

The Wagon Train consisted of about 20 covered horse-drawn wagons with "re-enactors" and "outriders" on horseback, followed by supporting vehicles. It had travelled from Leesburg, VA, heading toward Maryland and made camp further downhill about 2 miles away from me in Neersville, VA, in a valley near the base of Shorthill Mountain.

The camp was in a large field on/behind the property owned by Joe (Calvin) and Claudia ("Pinky") Clatterbuck.  "Pinky" (1927-2018) was a beloved member of the community. A Sunday school teacher, school bus driver, and waitress for 50 years at the (only) local Diner, the "Cindy Dee".

This followed an accident during a parade in Leesburg, VA, involving the Wagon Train, occurring on June 12, 1976, resulting in multiple injuries. 

The residents of Hillsboro and Neersville, VA, gathered to assist the Wagon Train at the camp, bringing food, water, clothing, and other supplies, and offering to provide care for the wagons, horses, and mules.

The response was so overwhelming that the Wagon Train began to turn such assistance away.

After a few days, the Wagon Train continued on its way, passing up the hill and by my house on Rt. 671, then down through Neersville to Rt. 340 , crossing the Shenandoah/Potomac River(s) below Harpers Ferry, WV, into Maryland on its way to Pennsylvania and Valley Forge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh2rWRKGKxM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz9JaxG4abY

https://www.kophistory.org/bicentennial-wagon-train/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-NLLkVh3dg

Prattsburgh, NY 2026 School Tax Increase -

 "A budget that grew less than 1% needs a 37.4% tax increase."

"For more than a decade, Prattsburgh school taxes barely moved. Now the district is asking residents to raise the local levy by roughly $1 million in a single year, eighteen times the entire eleven-year increase that came before it. The first attempt failed on May 19. The same budget is back on the ballot Tuesday, June 16, 2026, noon to 8 p.m., school cafetorium."

Source:  Joe Elward - Prattsburgh Budget Explainer-https://pcsfacts.org/#starthere

The "Prattsburgh Budget Explainer" website provides a link, enabling readers to calculate the personal cost impact of the tax increase on property owners.

This is the projected tax increase I am facing (according to this source), based on my own Steuben County property records listing at "Full Market Value."

https://beacon.schneidercorp.com/Application.aspx?AppID=1299&LayerID=44487&PageTypeID=4&PageID=16762&Q=190967980&KeyValue=466000048.00-01-008.200

Last year

$882

at $8.81 per $1,000

If it passes

$1,222

+$341

If it fails (contingency)

$889

+$7

Based on this information (should this budget pass), I could expect another increase to my mortgage payment of about $40.00 per month, following a previous increase in School Tax and Property Insurance this past year (2025) of about $30.00 per month.

This is also occurring during increasing costs due to economic inflation, while a bridge replacement by Steuben County and major renovation of adjacent athletic fields continue on Route 74, (requiring a road closure and detour since March 30) - now with an extension of the bridge project and detour for another 4-6 weeks.

(Image Source: Town of Prattsburgh, NY)

A New York State DEC report from September 2024 alluded to the extent of the current construction activity:  (source listed below).

 "The project may include improvements to the existing baseball field and surrounding infrastructure, walkways, dug outs, score board, infield, and accessibility access. Proposed work at the Ag. Center & Athletic Fields includes the addition of a concession stand, septic system improvements, well improvements, storage, toilet rooms, improvements to existing structures and fences, roof replacement and additional crosswalk safety features.

 Work at the existing softball field includes improvements to existing dug outs, batting cage, and accessibility. The soccer field location will be adjusted and sod reestablished. The existing gravel parking lot will be paved. Exterior lighting may be added to athletic fields, new parking, and an additional street entrance/exit. A new baseball field facility may be created, including dugouts, batting cage, fencing, bleachers, and accessibility." 

The District previously solicited bids for "Capital Project 2025" with a March 12, 2026 deadline. The project was estimated to cost from $5,000,000 - $15,000,000. 

Another school tax levy increase is already being proposed for 2027-28.

A question-and-answer meeting was held by PCSD Superintendent Kory Bay on May 14, 2026 (see video linked below).

Update: June 17, 2026

A re-vote on the PCSD Budget was held on June 16, 2026, which resulted in the budget passing with 64% approval, a nearly 5% increase in approval votes from the previous May 19 vote.

The revised budget was approved 496 yes to 279 no (64%). Compared to the previous vote of 303 yes to 213 no (58.7%). 

A difference of 193 more voting yes to 66 fewer voting no.

The implication is that the 66 fewer votes resulted either from a lack of voting or from voters changing from no to yes, with over 160 additional voting yes than on May 19th.

Other Sources:

https://www.weny.com/news/prattsburgh-residents-react-to-failed-proposed-school-budget/article_21c5106d-971e-43e1-aa9d-015bb942601f.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvbTqZkwb0U

https://dec.ny.gov/news/environmental-notice-bulletin/2024-09-18/seqr/town-of-prattsburgh-prattsburgh-central-school-district-capital-improvements-2024

https://www.highergov.com/sl/contract-opportunity/ny-2716-043-prattsburgh-central-school-dist-62300128/

https://www.weny.com/news/local/odessa-montour-and-prattsburgh-pass-revised-school-budgets-in-revote/article_bcb299cd-f6e3-4ab0-8f8d-9cd33ef2b513.html

Angry Snapping Turtle on the "Swamp Road"

The previous night had been stormy, with heavy rain, lightning, and thunder until after 11 PM, when my old hound dog ("Boyd") and I finally got to sleep.  The power went out about 3 AM.  We got up at 5 AM and made do until NYSEG arrived.  Crews were on my property and at the Underhill property across the road.  I don't know the cause of the outage, but power was restored by about 7 AM.

The weather patterns here have become so increasingly harsh and unpredictable that locals have described the weather as being "schizophrenic".

Later that morning of June 10, 2026, at about 1130,  I went to town for a few essentials, taking the detour toward Rt 77 then to Rt 53 via Waldo Road (I call it the "Swamp Road").

I was returning home on Waldo Road when I came across a green pickup truck with a black bed-cap stopped along the road and a woman using a cardboard box in an apparent attempt to carefully "wrangle" a large adult male snapping turtle from the center of the roadway between the two sides of the "swamp".

I stopped behind her vehicle to check it out. The woman explained she had observed two turtles (male and female), and that a female had crossed the road with the male following her. 

(The woman pointed out an area of freshly disturbed dirt at the edge of the road, as evidence the two turtles had been "messing around" there.)

The male was a large (angry) adult with a smooth green shell of about 18" and a "yellowish" face and belly. (A very handsome turtle).

During a brief assessment of the situation, and considering the increased traffic at that time, I remembered that I still had a winter brush/ice-scraper on a telescopic pole in my truck.  I decided I would try to use it to help get the "snapper" off the road.

So I approached the turtle from its rear, with the "squeegee" portion on the road surface, and attempted to coax it to cross to the other side.  But the angry "snapper" turned and immediately began attacking (biting) the upturned brush portion of my tool.

I did not want to drag the angry turtle on its belly, which might cause it harm. But it violently attacked the brush, even rolling onto its own back a couple of times, then righted itself in the process. After the very brief struggle, the angry snapper was safely off the road.

The woman thanked me for helping her with the turtle, and we went our separate ways, leaving the hissing, angry, amphibious reptile from whence it had come, beside the road at the crossing of the swamp.