GRANVILLE — More than seven months after Granville lost its post office, the U.S. Postal Service is considering reopening a facility where residents of the Route 100 town can collect their mail, purchase stamps and mail their packages.
USPS Real Estate Specialist Michael K. Bullard will attend the next Monday’s Granville selectboard meeting and propose relocating retail services into a yet-to-be determined location in town. The Sept. 12 meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the town clerk’s office, which is located at 4157 Route 100.
From 1963 until last December the USPS leased one room in a Route 100 home next to the general store to serve as the post office. It hosted 50 P.O. boxes used by Granville residents. But the couple who owned the home suspended the lease due to health reasons and on Jan. 15 the Granville Post Office closed.
People in the town of 300 had to travel to Hancock to pick up their mail after that. Town Clerk Kathy Werner set up a special box in her office where the letter carriers could deliver official town mail.
At the time of the closing, some Granville residents worried that the loss of the post office would mean the loss of one more opportunity for social interaction and the further degradation of community.
A USPS media alert said the agency has been engaged in national re-evaluation of its facilities and the Granville situation falls into that process. After Monday’s meeting, people can send written comments on whatever proposal is put on the table by writing to the Bullard before Oct. 11. Submit comments to: Michael K. Bullard, Real Estate Specialist, USPS, Facilities Service Office, PO Box 27497, Greensboro, NC 27498-1103.
Comments can be emailed to: [email protected].
Werner said on Wednesday that she didn’t know anything about the USPS plans for her town, but she though her fellow residents would welcome a new post office.
“I think a lot of people would like to have the post office here so they wouldn’t have to go so far to pick up their mail,” Werner said.