Post Office in North Canton 'May Not Be Warranted'

An independent post office in North Canton “may not be warranted,” according to a letter sent to post office box holders at the facility. 

The letter from the United State Postal Service states that “several issues merit additional review,” including vacant P.O. boxes and declines in workload and retails sales. 

“That suggests that the maintenance of an independent office at North Canton may not be warranted,” the letter states.  

The P.O. box holders are also being asked to fill out an accompanying survey. 

The survey has several questions about postal use and asks residents if they would use post office box  service at the East Hartland Post Office, which it states is 3.1 miles away. According to Mapquest.com, however, it is 7.78 miles away. Canton Center Post Office is 3.1 miles away, according to the site. 

In North Canton, 63 of 118 post office boxes are rented, according to sources. Canton Center Postmaster Mary Christensen said about 120 to 130 of the 230 post office boxes there are in use. 

The letter, signed by Beau Lebouef, manager of post office operations, states that no final decisions have been made but that a formal proposal will be offered if the postal service feels it can maintain good service. 

The postal service has scheduled a meeting for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26 at The Grange Hall, 534 Cherry Brook Road.

The postal service also recently sent a letter to First Selectman Richard Barlow and stated it is conducting a survey of “postal operations” in Canton and asks the town to urge residents to fill out the survey.

According to the letter, “At this time, no decisions have been made to alter postal operations locally. But we are exploring every possible option that will balance the best mail service possible with today’s financial realities that face the Postal Service.”

Upon seeing the letter sent to the North Canton P.O. Box holders, Barlow had a little stronger reaction than he did earlier in the day. 

“It looks like they have already prejudged the outcome based on their letter to patrons,” he said Wednesday afternoon.

The surveys will be postage paid and can be filled out anonymously. The data will be considered along with historical usage, post office box rentals and retail sales, according to the postal service. 

In North Canton, the lobby is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. Window service is provided from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m. during the week and 8:30 to 11 a.m. on Saturday. 

The letter to Barlow states that the service reviews “all postal operations for opportunities to streamline processes and provide service more efficiently.”

A U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman for the area has not yet returned a call seeking comment.