Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Tuesday, November 26, 2013
(OOLITIC) - The United States Postal Service will be conducting a meeting on January 15 at 5 p.m. at Oolitic Town Hall to discuss the closing of the Oolitic Post Office.
During the Oolitic Council meeting Monday night, Clerk Treasurer Jim Staley and Council President Delvin Nikirk says the community needs to rally to keep the post office open.
"They are stressing that no decision has been made at this time to close the post office, but they are discussing their options," Staley says.
Staley was contacted by the Postal Service this week stressing the importance of the meeting.
The U.S. Postal Service announced the possible closure of 3,700 offices nationwide, including 95 in Indiana.
The USPS is considering changes to get in line with changing consumer demands, with less emphasis on stand-alone branches.
"More than 35 percent of the Postal Service's retail revenue comes from expanded access locations, such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, self-service kiosks, ATMs and usps.com," said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. "Our customer's habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business ."
The postal service is introducing a new concept, called Village Post Offices, in communities that may lose their traditional offices. USPS is bringing in third-party retailers to implement that plan.
Village Post Offices would be run by local businesses or the town hall, offering most postal products and services, such as stamps and flat-rate packaging.
Another possibility is to have the post office open 4 hours a day Monday through Friday and closed on Saturdays.
"It is very important that Oolitic residents attend this meeting and let these officials know how important our post office is," Nikirk says.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.