BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
UNION -- Surface "Tuffy" Barlow, a lifelong Union resident, remembers each of the four facilities that have housed the local post office.
But none compares with the fifth and newest one at 1664 Frogtown Road, he said. Sunday's grand opening of the new post office was attended by dozens of residents, post office workers and city officials. "I think it was very smart," Mr. Barlow, 77, said of the decision to build the 12,000-square-foot facility.
Residents who attended the ceremony said the new post office provides a more centralized location for the growing area. The post office, which opened at the beginning of March, moved from its old facility on U.S. 42. The new one is located on a 4.5-acre lot.
"It has been a long struggle to get this post office," Union Mayor Warren Moore said during his brief remarks.
He said nearby residents -- citing potential increased traffic, noise and accidents on Frogtown Road -- opposed the post office. But the mayor said the post office is needed because "this area . . . is probably going to be -- for the next 10 to 15 years -- the fastest-growing area of the county."
Skip Hawks, manager of post office operations for the Cincinnati District, said that within the past five years, the Union post office has increased the number of routes from three to eight. He attributed that to the residential growth in Union and Boone County.
"I think this (post office) should be able to hold us for at least 30 years," Mr. Hawks said during a conversation with Mr. Barlow. "The growth here is just phenomenal."
Clerk Terri Tudor, who worked at the old post office on U.S. 42 for 12 years, said he is excited about the new facility.
"We have died and gone to heaven," Ms. Tudor said.
Ms. Tudor said the old 1,000-square-foot post office and a nearby trailer became too small for the 6 million to 7 million pieces of mail handled annually. She added that employee morale at the old post office had dropped significantly because of space constraints and the separation of workers in the post office from those in the trailer.
The grand opening included a symbolic Masonic ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone, a ribbon-cutting by dignitaries and tours of the facility.
"It's exciting to finally be able to open our doors so that members of the community can share in our pride," said Postmaster Tim Gilday.
