The U.S. Postal Service does not have a 100 percent rate of delivery. Sometimes a piece of mail is lost, or is destroyed by automated processing equipment.

That is frustrating for the victims of such failures, but the failures are but a tiny blemish when factored against the huge volume of mail that the postal service handles.

But such understanding regarding breakdowns in the system cannot be applied to the Mars Post Office’s having lost 3,500 surveys sent to residents of the Mars School District.

Those surveys, which were destined for homes in Valencia and Middlesex Township, dealt at least in part with the Mars teachers contract negotiations — a tentative contract from which will be voted on by the teachers and board on Nov. 5.

A replacement survey is being sent to the affected residences, with the deadline for their return being Nov. 12.

School board president Dayle Ferguson on Friday characterized the contract issue as being completely separate from the survey issue, but the affected people will be at the disadvantage of not having an opportunity for their voices to be heard — stemming from the survey — before the two sides vote.

The original mailing had a return deadline of Oct. 29.

It’s laudable that the postal service has agreed to mail the replacement surveys at no cost to the school district. However, there’s no excuse for 3,500 just disappearing.

The Mars School District isn’t a big metropolitan area generating millions of items daily. The postal service has some explaining to do, when — or if — the lost surveys are found.

Cheer Butler’s K-9 fundraising effort has generated much good news, and the latest report was no exception.On Thursday, Mayor Maggie Stock announced that the effort had generated $75,337 in donations. Since maintaining the K-9 program will be an ongoing matter, no future donations will be turned away.Amid the fundraising, it’s appropriate to note the work of the police department itself on behalf of the program. Of the total amount raised so far, $8,400 came from department T-shirt sales — quite an accomplishment.Meanwhile, praise again is in order to students of the First United Methodist Vacation Bible School, whose fundraisers collected about $4,000.In honor of their accomplishment, the students were given the opportunity to name the first German Shepherd that will be put in service.The name they selected is “Gunnar.”The fundraising effort, which was kicked off by Island neighborhood businessman Denny Offstein by way of an interest-free $10,000 loan to the city, has been on a positive course from the start. Now it’s only about a month until Gunnar and the K-9’s handler, patrol officer Brian Grooms, will be in service.Butler residents have grounds for great pride about what has been accomplished — much more than anyone initially might have predicted.

Cheer The Mars Rod and Gun Club was the first organization to hold an event benefiting Glade Run Lake, and it’s to be hoped many others will follow.While the Mars group’s event, dubbed Shoot for the Lake, raised just $3,500 — a small amount when stacked up against the estimated $4.2 million cost to restore the recreational lake — every amount big or small is important to the lake’s future.Commendably, the club hopes to hold another event on the lake’s behalf in the spring — that one including other sportmen’s organizations.Bonnie Chappell, vice president of the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, which is leading the effort to restore the lake, called the Mars club’s event held on Oct. 14 “an incredible offer.”Meanwhile, Fred Dean, the club’s vice president, expressed the hope that the event increased awareness about the lake and what it will take to restore it.More awareness now will plant the seed for additional events by others, as well as by Mars Rod and Gun Club.Restoration of the lake is a worthy goal, whether an event raises $1,000, $100,000 or more.