Wednesday, February 23, 2000
Delhi yearns for mail upgrade
First-class facility to be requested
BY LEW MOORES
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DELHI TOWNSHIP — The township wants to work through U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati, in trying to convince the U.S. Postal Service that a township of 32,000 deserves a full-service post office.
Trustee Ann Langdon said the Delhi Business Association has asked the congressman for help, and that the board of trustees will also formally ask the Postal Service for a post office.
“It would be an asset to Delhi,” she said. “It's definitely a place where it will be utilized.”
The township is served by a contract station of the postal service, located in Hader Hardware in the Delfair Shopping Center on Delhi Road.
But the township and the business association say it is time the postal service had a larger presence in the township.
Ron Kruse, secretary of the business association, said that with 340 businesses and 32,000 people, the township deserves a full-service post office branch — especially considering that smaller communities, such as the village of Cleves, have branches.
“We'd like a full-service post office,” said Mr. Kruse. “It's pretty simple.”
Mr. Kruse said the township has made requests for a post office in the past. He said there is only one daily mail pickup at the Delfair Shopping Center, that it occurs too early in the day (4 p.m.) and that some services can't be done there, such as picking up mail that has been stopped.
“We're a full-service community except for the post office; that's the way I look at it,” Mr. Kruse said.
Bonni Manies, spokeswoman for the Postal Service in Cincinnati, said a formal request from the township or anyone else for a full-service post office has not been received.
Ms. Manies said a new post office would cost $5 million to $10 million, depending on size, and that all requests are meticulously evaluated and reviewed.
“Obviously, we have to make sound fiscal decisions about where post offices are placed, or else the rates go up more often,” said Ms. Manies, who explained that the construction of post office branches is paid for with the sale of products and services. “That's our operating capital.”
She said the Hader Hardware contract station is one of about 15 contract stations in the Cincinnati area.
Chuck Shope, who manages the Hader contract station, said the station has been at the shopping center for about 30 years. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Mr. Shope said that while the contract station cannot offer overseas services or processing of passports, it can do most everything else, including registered, certified and metered mail. It also has post office boxes.
And although it has only one 4 p.m. pickup, he said, “that's something we can change.”
“It's not that they don't do a good job for what they do, but it's limited,” said Mr. Kruse.
Joe Morency, township administrator, said the board of trustees will formally request a post office branch from the Postal Service, in addition to working through Mr. Chabot's office.
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