SOLUTIONS … Kunkle residents shared that many solutions to the mail issue have been discussed, including cluster boxes, adding mailboxes to the homes not on the route so that they may be added to Alvordton or Pioneer’s rural delivery route, or finding a different location to house a post office in Kunkle. From the USPS’s statement released on May 30th, it would seem as though the latter route is being pursued.
By: Anna Wozniak
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
Starting as early as 1775, when Benjamin Franklin appointed the first Postmaster General by Continental Congress, the United States Postal Service has been an integral part of what it means to live in an American community -facilitating information, hopes, dreams, words of love and despair between citizens and the world.
The USPS shows that Informed Delivery has been available nationwide since 2017, but the residents of Kunkle have been having a much different experience.
It all started nine months ago, when the USPS tried to renew their lease agreement. The property owner refused the renewal, and instead converted the space into a small apartment.
This closure has left Kunkle residents traveling for their mail. The miles add up, with many residents making a 12 mile round trip nearly every day.
With gas running at $3.50 per gallon, Kunkle residents are paying between $15 and $20 in gas expenses a week to retrieve their mail (12 miles a day, 5 days a week, with vehicles that drive 12 to 20 miles per gallon).
Twenty dollars a week from Kunkle’s 35 or so families would see $2,800 total in monthly additional gas expenses for the residents of Kunkle if they are to get their mail five days a week, and the issue has been persisting for upwards of nine months.
The residents affected are those not on a state or county route, as Alvordton and Pioneer currently hold routes along the major roads.
Many have reached out to the office of Congresswoman Marci Kaptur, who voiced shared concerns. Kunkle resident and Madison Board of Trustees member Rodney Baker related that they were told to gather community support, so that their complaint holds more weight with those in Columbus.
On May 28th, the United States Postal Office posted an open mail clerk position for Kunkle, and on May 30th, the United States Postal Office released the following statement:
“The U.S. Postal Service will be mailing a postcard to the impacted Kunkle community, announcing a proposed relocation of the Kunkle, OH Post Office previously located at 104 Angola St., Kunkle, OH 43531. The postcard provides information about the public comment period.”
“Due to a loss of lease at the former facility, the Postal Service is now looking for a new retail location within the 43531 ZIP Code.”
“The desired size of the new facility needs to be one of the following: (a) an existing building that is approximately 700 net square feet with 8+/- dedicated parking stalls or (b) land to lease that is approximately 8,500 square feet in which the Postal Service can bring in a modular building.”
“The relocation project will consist of procuring a suitable substitute location, as close as reasonably possible to the existing location. Retail Services will continue at the Pioneer Post Office until all necessary preparations are completed at the new location.”
“We are inviting comments on the proposal and request they be sent to the following address within the next 45 days from delivery of the postcard: United States Postal Service, ATTN: Kunkle, OH Main Office Relocation, PO BOX 27497, Greensboro, NC 27498-1103.”