Meeting offers public a chance to stop cuts
A community meeting is scheduled regarding the United States Postal Service’s planned cut for the Great Cacapon Post Office weekday window service from eight hours to six hours.
The meeting is set for Wednesday, October 24 at 5 p.m. at the former Great Cacapon Elementary.
Postal Service personnel will address the cuts, answer questions and get input about the preferred weekday hours. Their decision will not be final until after the public meeting.
Results of a survey of Great Cacapon residents about the reduced hours and other service alternatives will also be revealed at the meeting.
The Great Cacapon Post Office was listed for reduced hours in the POST plan that was unveiled in May by the United States Postal Service.
Survey
The survey gave the option of keeping the Great Cacapon Post Office open, but changing the window service hours from eight hours to six hours per weekday. Three other options regarded conducting a discontinuance study for the Post Office.
These options included providing roadside mailbox delivery with retail and delivery service by a rural carrier at mail delivery points; establishing an alternative location operated by a contractor, usually at a local business; or providing Post Office Box service through another nearby Post Office and relocating Post Office Box delivery to that office.
Unless the community showed a strong survey preference (more than 60%) for doing a discontinuance study and selecting one of the alternative sources of services, the Postal Service planned to change the weekday hours to six hours per day.
The option of keeping the hours as they currently are wasn’t listed on the survey.
Local response
Great Cacapon Postmaster Rick Dunn said that there was a great local response to the survey. Many Great Cacapon postal customers turned in their completed surveys to him at the window or mailed them in.
Dunn said that if the proposed cut in hours occurs that he may not be able to stay on as Postmaster. He has worked as interim Great Cacapon Postmaster since former Postmaster Tara Silver transferred to the Falling Waters branch.
Dunn said that the Great Cacapon Post Office was making its numbers in mail volume. Great Cacapon residents have expressed much concern about the future of their Post Office.
The Great Cacapon Post Office serves nearly 537 customers on a 96-mile rural route through two full-time delivery carriers. The Post Office building also houses 436 delivery boxes. It is a community meeting place and has a lending library and special events.
Paw Paw Post Office
Paw Paw Postmaster Lori Davis said their Post Office was not being affected yet by the cuts.
Davis has received no word at present regarding plans for a community meeting or customer survey regarding the Paw Paw Post Office.
The Paw Paw Post Office was also earmarked for future reduced hours by the United States Postal Service in May.
