Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
The Chelsea Post Office facility currently located at 16738 U.S. 280 is overcrowded due to the area’s growth, according to Sandra Rybicki with the United States Postal Service.
The U.S. Postal Service is considering the potential relocation of retail services provided at the Chelsea Post Office. The current spot at 16738 U.S. 280 no longer has enough space to adequately conduct business.
Sandra Rybicki, who handles facilities, real estate and assets for the U.S. Postal Service, flew in from Plano, Texas, for a public hearing at Chelsea City Hall on Aug. 18.
She said the post office was required to provide public notification to city officials and the community who may be affected by the project, and their input would be considered prior to a final decision being made.
“Its over-crowding is magnified by the rapid community growth,” Rybicki said. “We are looking for another facility to lease within a 1-mile radius of the current post office.”
If the current location was expanded, it would only add 1,900 square feet for a total building size of 3,800 square feet. For the new building, space and parking requirements are 4,700 square feet on 1.15 acres and 30 parking places for customers and employees.
“We will conduct a site selection and select the one that best meets the requirement,” Rybicki said.
After 30 days, any comments will be reviewed, then a formalized decision will be made and a letter sent to the mayor and a decision will be finalized and implemented.
The USPS will likely enter into a 10-year lease term with multiple five-year renewal options, which would be exercised at the discretion of the postal service. Once a deal is in place, if it is in an existing building, it could take four to six months to complete buildout, and eight to 10 months total for the project.
There would be no downtime between opening and closing and people would likely feel no impact whatsoever.
“We could close on Saturday after the routes and be open by Monday,” Rybicki said.
This lease at the current location is up in November, but the USPS is in discussions to extend it until the new facility is ready.
