Skamokawa PO faces closure

Skamokawa – Over 40 people gathered Tuesday to protest the proposed closing of the Skamokawa Post Office.

They gathered information about the process, sought to understand the chances of affecting the postal service decision and made a case for the post office as the center of the Skamokawa community. They shared some laughs and left no doubt about their commitment to work to keep the post office doors open.

Skamokawa was targeted for closure because it took in less than $27,500 revenue annually and generated less than two hours of “earned workload” daily. Post Master Luanne Hedges said about 80 of the post office’s almost 200 boxes were empty.

David Boos, operations manager for 986 zip code, which includes parts of Washington and Oregon, chaired the meeting, gathering comments to be compiled into a public record and sent to USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. Cathlamet Post Master Wendy Blix recorded comment.

If the Skamokawa post office were closed, its functions would be transferred to the Cathlamet Post Office.

Postal residents would have the option to have curbside delivery from Cathlamet carriers or to have a post office box in Cathlamet.

Residents who decide to keep a box in Cathlamet, would keep their address, including town and zip code. Boos said Cathlamet had adequate staffing to handle the additional workload.

Residents with a post office box, who changed to curbside delivery would need to submit a change of address form, Boos said.

After considering the public record, USPS headquarters will decide whether to close the post office. The decision would be posted, and the community would have 30 days to appeal the decision to the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The Antelope, Ore., post office has been removed from the closure list as a result of public input, Boos said.

Several post offices in Montana and almost all of the Alaska post offices slated for closure were also removed from the closure list after great public outcry, Boos said, advising those in the audience to write their congressional delegation.

Kay Chamberlain of Skamokawa reported she had written state representatives, who were forwarding letters of support to US senators.

The Rosburg Post Office earns greater than $27,000 annually and generate more workload hours of work than Skamokawa.

Lee Tischer suggested a rural America stamp, which cost seven cents more than first class postage. Several in the group said they would support that.

Mike Iverson, a natural gas pipe fitter and commercial fisherman, whose work takes him across the country from Biloxi to Kenai, said his family mails jellies and jams, he receives halibut from family in Alaska.

“We depend on having Luanne hold our mail. Without the post office, I’ll call UPS and Federal Express,” he said.

Residents expressed concern over theft with curbside delivery.

Residents like Sue O’Connor were concerned that parking in the Cathlamet Post office is “horrendous.”

Michelle Collupy who works at the Skamokawa Resort General Store, described the impact of Columbus Day, a federal holiday, on store business.

Logan Britt, who runs the resort, said he would have to consider reducing staff hours if store traffic lessened. He also said the resort owners would consider renegotiating the lease if it would lower expenses and keep the post office open.

Residents noted the irony and inefficiency of the USPS moving the post office “26.5 feet” and remodeled the building, making it handicapped accessible, only to close it.

While the post office says electronic communication has replaced personal and business mail, Skamokawa resident Layton Elliott said local internet coverage was “50 years behind the times” and made the sounds of a dial up connection.

Boos described the administrative positions that have been eliminated as mail volume decreased and districts were consolidated. Mail processing plants have also been consolidated.

Layton Elliot said, “If you took the post office, you’re condemning the community to a downhill slide. We’re trying to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and make a comeback.”

Kent Martin likened the closure to shifts in other industries in the name of cost efficiency that punished rural communities. “The closure is one more nail in the coffin.” he said.

Heidi Heywood questioned the statutory authority for the USPS actions, noting that the law had an old-fashioned dependence on the post to serve notice between litigants.

She noted that the superior court judge shared between Cathlamet and South Bend, travels 55 miles to appear two mornings per month to makes decisions on such issues as child custody, which are of critical concern to her and her clients.

Heywood said she would have to consider whether to move her business to Cathlamet if the post office closed.

In addition to Skamokawa, small towns along the Columbia River who could lose their post office include Wishram, Wallula and Roosevelt. Ariel and Oysterville are also on the list.

Martin asked if USPS had a process to evaluate how important a post office in a community was, relative to other services in the community. “I’m saying for some rural communities, it’s disproportionately important.”