I am a veteran employee of the Postal Service. There are things that you should know going into this venture with them.

1. The Postal Service wants to keep its presence in the downtown area of a town. They understand its importance.

2. The people that we will be dealing with from the Postal Service on this issue are not allowed to acknowledge or admit this unless it’s “off the record.”

3. It is important that the citizens get involved through petition and attending hearings on this issue; “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

4. It is true that delays in the process created by the citizens could mean the money earmarked could go somewhere else.

5. There is an alternative to appease both parties as well as the overcrowding problem for the employees of the downtown site.

We the citizens should push and submit a proposal for a postal annex. They are quite popular.

This concept is an avenue that does not disturb the downtown operation, which provides window service as well as already established box service.

The annex is a very nice spec building and the Postal Service has blueprints available to have them built. The annex contains the carrier operation only and has no window service.

Customers can however pick-up packages and items that need a signature at this location when notified to do so.

They also have stamp machines in the lobby area for your convenience. This idea is a win/win for the Postal Service and the community.

I have traveled to Paola on postal business on numerous occasions and have found the annex to be an attractive spec building, well built and full of positive comments by both the customers as well as the employees that work out of it.

This avenue addresses all concerns by both parties and does not delay the construction of a new facility or loss of designated funds for the project. It is a compromise between all parties and achieves the goals at hand without disturbing the downtown operation.

Please get on the “postal annex” bandwagon now!

Don C. Rodell
Rural Tonganoxie