Palmer to get new postmaster

U.S. Postal Service officials will appoint a new postmaster for the Palmer Post Office after months of unusually long lines at the facility, several local legislators said.

The post has been vacant following retirements at the post office in September. As a result, the office has frequently operated at half capacity, according to representatives from state and federal legislative staffs. Staff at the offices of Rep. Shelley Hughes said they had received about five calls per week on the matter of long lines and insufficient staffing.

Hughes also maintains a P.O. Box at the facility, and saw the logjam firsthand, when she had to squeeze between those waiting in line to access her box.

“Even in October, I realized ‘Man, this is ridiculous,’” she said.

As the holiday season approached, things only got worse, Hughes said. As recently as last week, the issue of insufficient staffing remained, Hughes said.

“As Americans we pay our federal taxes, and the federal government has a responsibility to keep that facility staffed,” she said.

If staffing proved to be an issue, officials should extend the hours of operation, Hughes said.

Staff at U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office said they had also received numerous calls on the issue, according to Murkowski staffer Matthew Felling.

“We heard from constituents, we heard from representatives,” he said. “We passed those concerns to the Postal Service and told them to add a little urgency.”

On her Facebook page on Friday, Murkowski added some details, saying the new postmaster would start Tuesday.

“On top of that, they are in the process of filling additional positions. I thank them for identifying the need and working on trying to resolve this so quickly,” the senator wrote in her post.

The new postmaster’s name is Richard Smith, according to Hughes.

Calls for comment on the postal service’s offices went unreturned Friday afternoon.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com.