By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The U.S. Postal Service says that in the wake of the closure of the downtown Pioneer Station, the agency has no plans for another contract postal station in downtown Sitka.
“The Postal Service apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates our customers’ patience as we make the transition to the Main Post Office,” said USPS Operations Manager Dawn Acosta, in a news release issued just before 5 p.m. Monday.
Ed Conway, who had the Pioneer Station contract, said he was closing the postal substation because he and the negotiator for the Alaska District were unable to agree on the terms of a new contract.
Brian Sperry, spokesman for the post office in Denver, Colo., said the offer received from Conway was “substantially higher than the previous contract and when compared with other similar contract post offices.”
“Given the postal service’s significant and continued fiscal challenges, a business decision was made to relocate to the nearby Sitka Main Post Office,” he said.
The postal service consumer affairs office in Anchorage didn’t return calls on Monday, but a spokesman from Denver, Colo., issued a news release at 4:56 p.m. Monday, stating the Pioneer Station was being “relocated to nearby Sitka Main Post Office.” The main post office is at 1207 Sawmill Creek Road, about 1.3 miles from downtown.
Delores Doggett and Ed Conway take a break while packing up the Pioneer Station Post Office. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
“Due to the close proximity of the Main Post Office, which has plenty of room to accommodate the additional post office boxes and retail business, the USPS will not be looking for another contract location,” the release said.
Acosta said, “We look forward to serving (Pioneer Station customers) at the main post office. Pioneer Post Office box customers will now have 24-hour access to post office boxes, and keep the same mailing address and keys.”
Some 300 customers had post office boxes at the contract location, the news release said. Conway said some 50 to 75 customers used the downtown location as a general delivery address for their mail at any one time.
Retail hours at the main post office are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and there are no retail hours on Saturday or Sunday. The downtown Pioneer Station retail business opened earlier and closed later than the main post office, and also was open for business on Saturday.
Conway said he was sorry to hear the post office was not seeking offers for another downtown postal station.
“It’s just the convenience of the downtown post office, for everyone in town,” he said. “It’s so convenient, for people who live on a boat, and for people who don’t drive; 1.3 miles is not far, but for people picking up packages, if you don’t drive, you’ve got to go 1.3 miles. It’s just an inconvenience.”
Among those who will have to make adjustments include downtown residents without vehicles, harbor residents and some businesses.
One such business is Old Harbor Books, a couple of blocks west on Lincoln Street.
“We ship to customers all over the country and beyond, and we ship books out multiple times a week, especially to villages,” said Old Harbor manager Ashia Lane. “Typically we package everything up here and carry it down the street. It’s been convenient for us. Not all of our staff has access to vehicles, so it’s going to shape the dynamic of who’s running what errands.”
The USPS news release listed options for buying stamps include Stamps by Mail (“ask your clerk or carrier for a form”), Stamps by Phone 1-800-STAMP-24), and the 24-7 online site usps.com for changes of address, buying stamps and other services.
