|
Mail to AURA facilities in Chile
- How do I get
mail to a fellow employee in Chile?
- What is
allowed in the mail pouch?
- How long
does it take for the mail pouch to get to Chile?
How do I get mail to a fellow employee in Chile?
NOAO has a continuous
mail service for the AURA employees serving at the Chilean observatories (CTIO,
Gemini, SOAR, and other tenant facilities). The mail shipments are handled by
NOAO Shipping and Receiving. Mail for Chilean staff is sorted for
transshipment to Chile;
held pending the arrival of a Chilean visitor or forwarded to former
employees.
All mail placed in the
"CHILE" mail
slots in the main building will be collected on a daily basis and forwarded
to Chile or held pending
the arrival in Tucson
of the Chile-based employee if that is their request. Mail to Chile is
shipped twice weekly by Federal Express.
Except for holidays,
mailbag shipments depart Tucson every Monday
and Wednesday at 2:00 PM and, unless slowed by holidays in the U.S. or Chile, arrive in La Serena later
that week. These mailbag shipments are for first class mail, magazines and inter-office
envelopes. Non-first class mail is forwarded to Chile in weekly freight
shipments.
Contents of mail
shipments to and from Chile
can ONLY consist of printed materials and work-related CDs and data
tapes. Personal music CDs and movie DVD's are not allowed. Items addressed to
employees in Chile that do not meet the "printed materials"
classification must be sent as non-official freight/personal goods and cannot
be sent with official items. The NOAO Procurement Manager or the Shipping and
Receiving Supervisor is authorized to open mail destined for Chile to
verify that the contents comply with regulations. For clarification, contact
Clark Enterline, NOAO Procurement Manager (centerline@noao.edu, ext. 8277).
Mail is sent from Chile to Tucson
in a weekly mailbag shipment. Again, only printed materials are included in
the shipment. Generally, the mailbag departs Chile
on Thursday and arrives in Tucson
the following Tuesday. The contents of the Mailbag are distributed by Shipping
and Receiving personnel and placed in the Central mail distribution center
located in the main building as soon as the shipment arrives.
There is no additional
cost for the mail service between Tucson and Chile. If the
mail is to be forwarded to the local post office the only stamp required is
that required to send the mail from Tucson
to the addressee. Employees sending inter-office mail to other employees need
not affix postage.
Approximately one week
prior to their U.S.
visit, mail for visiting Chilean employees is removed from the mailbag shipments
and held in Shipping and Receiving if that is the request of the
visitor. If not requested, all mail is
forwarded to Chile
as usual. Unless requested by the visitor, freight mail is not held in Tucson.
Mail slots are designated
for Chilean visitors in the mail distribution area in Shipping and Receiving.
Contact Clark Enterline(centerline@noao.edu;
ext. 8176) or Cliff Aldrich ( caldrich@noao.edu;
ext 8126) for further information.
top
What is allowed in the mail pouch?
Contents of the mailbag
and freight mail shipments can ONLY consist of printed materials and work-related
CDs and data tapes. Personal music CDs and movie DVD's are not allowed. Items
addressed to employees in Chile that do not meet the "printed
materials" classification must be sent as non-official freight/personal
goods shipment and cannot be sent with official items. Both the NOAO
Procurement Manager and the Shipping and Receiving Supervisor are authorized
to open mail destined for Chile
to verify that the contents comply with the regulations. For clarification,
contact the NOAO Procurement Manager.
The mail pouch cannot be
used for urgent shipments of non-qualified materials including urgently
needed medication. Such items must be sent as personal goods via an express
freight service such as Federal Express.
Unless requested, all
book orders are sent in the weekly freight shipment and not in the mailbag.
top
How
long does it take for the mail pouch to get to Chile?
Mail pouches leave from
NOAO Shipping & Receiving every Monday and Wednesday at 2PM. Both shipments
are sent by Federal Express. Travel times to Santiago are normally 2-3 working days.
Mail pouches are cleared through Chilean Customs and immediately forwarded to
La Serena for distribution. Mail pouch contents are generally distributed as
soon as they arrive in La Serena. From the time the pouch is sent, it
normally takes 3-4 working days for the mail to reach the Chilean employee.
No mail shipments are
sent on holidays.
top
|
