Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
July 18, 2015, 12:55 p.m.
For residents concerned about the deterioration of Fernandina’s historic post office and the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) continued neglect of its facility, there was a glimmer of hope that repairs would begin when scaffolding appeared on the north side of the building. Information obtained but not confirmed by the Fernandina Observer indicates the scaffolding is in place to fix an electrical issue as a result of a recent lightning storm.
Although investments in Centre Street continue with recently completed restoration of the Chandlery Building, and the Train Depot, there appears to be no effort by the USPS to fund much needed repairs to the historic post office despite prodding from historic groups, residents, and government officials.
Click here for previous Fernandina Observer articles:
Anne H. Oman – What’s Next for the Downtown Post Office
Susan H. Steger “Postal Regulatory Commission sends back request to close historic post office“
Scaffolding for an internal electrical issue? That sounds highly unusual.
I’ve got to agree with Mac, I’ve never seen an Electrical crew work off scaffolding. There’s got to be more, I hope.
Does USPS actually own the building?
“Commissioner Miller mentioned he had received a phone call from Attorney Buddy Jacobs, who serves as the City’s lobbyist, informing him that he, Mr. Jacobs, had spoken to someone about a program that may allow the City to acquire, through donation, the Post Office on Centre St. Miller asked the City Manager if the money that had previously been budgeted for sealing the building to prevent further decay was still in the budget. The City Manager replied there was $150,000 for the Post Office in next year’s budget. This was no doubt good news for those who have long advocated saving and restoring the Centre St. Post Office.”
http://fernandinaobserver.org/2015/06/18/fernandina-beach-city-commission-meeting-bits-and-pieces/
Sounds hopeful !
For Fernandina newcomers, and for new readers of the Fernandina Observer, here’s a glimpse of only one section of the interior of the historic post office:
Steve,
Yes, the USPS does own the building. As noted in the linked articles, the efforts for the City to acquire the building has a long history with frequent glimmers of hope only to be dashed soon thereafter. The building has a number of design issues from a repurpose standpoint but the more immediate problems are the interior and exterior deterioration. Estimates to simply stabilize the exterior from further deterioration have ranged from a couple hundred thousand to half a million.
Buddy has been working with Senator Nelson and USPS officials for years on this issue. There is a formal process for transferring a closed postal facility over to another government agency, but normally is not done as a “gift”, especially given the financial issues of the USPS. I think Buddy has been working to secure funding that would pay for the transfer.
It would be great to see repairs done, especially if it means the Post Office itself would remain open. We do need the downtown branch, and USPS has been trying to close it down for years.
Now they’re attacking it from a different angle, deciding to close the PO box area to box users except in very limited hours. Closing access at 6 pm daily makes it very difficult to access a box if you work during normal business hours. One advantage of having a box is being able to get your mail even if you can’t get there during P.O. business hours.
I realize the safety issue that’s been stated, but if USPS was serious about continuing business, it could find a solution other than shutting down.
I know the “open hours” comment is rather off topic for this news item, but would like to see other readers join in protesting the USPS’ unconcern for the public.