Published: April 13, 2009 10:45 pm      

Luke post office closing

Postal Service opts not to renew lease

LUKE — Cumberland may have fought, and won, to keep its post office doors open, but the one on 119 Pratt St. in Luke will be closing at the end of this month.

The lease for the Luke Post Office building expires April 30 and the Postal Service has decided not to renew the lease, said Freda Sauter, spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service district based in Baltimore. The last day of retail operations will be April 29.

“The Postal Service is experiencing the biggest mail volume decline in our history,” she said in an e-mail sent Monday. “In 2008, the Postal Service saw its volume decline by 9.5 billion pieces, 4.5 percent of total volume, and ended the fiscal year with a net operating loss of $2.8 billion.”

She said that e-mail, online bill paying and escalating costs have impacted the bottom line of businesses everywhere, and the Postal Service is no exception. To maintain the ability to serve the needs of U.S. families and businesses affordably, the Postal Service must make changes to its operations.

Sauter added in the last seven months, the Luke Post Office has only generated $100 and only had four post office boxes rented out of 60 available.

“The Luke post office has one sales and service associate that serves customers at the window two hours a day, from 8 to 10 a.m.,” she said. “After Luke post office closes, she will work full time at the Westernport post office.”

Closing the Luke office will not affect mail delivery.

Dale Bucklew, officer in charge at the Westernport office, said there are two employees from Westernport who help out for two hours in Luke. He said once that office closes, one will work full time in Westernport while the other will work at the Swanton office.

“The Postal Service is a self-supporting agency that does not receive any tax dollars. We rely entirely on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses,” Sauter said. “A range of high costs and expenses, combined with the steep drop in mail volume, continue to have major impact on our finances. It’s not business as usual anymore. We must continue to identify and implement changes that help us better serve our customers and keep our prices affordable.”

Nearly everything done at local post offices can be done online at usps.com, Sauter added. You can purchase stamps, order free carrier pickup for packages, change your address, hold mail, look up ZIP Codes and much more.

“These are not easy times for the Postal Service; the changes we are making are challenging but we must continue to do what we do best — provide top-notch service and affordable pricing to the American families and businesses,” she said. “Our business is changing, but what hasn’t changed is who we are. We are a part of every community in the nation. We are trusted. We are welcomed at the doorstep of every home and business. No other organization can say that.”

Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.