Skwentna survives Postal Service cuts

Sometimes the system works. Just ask Joe Delia and the 48 active users of the Skwentna Post Office.

Delia, who’s in his 80s, and his wife, Norma, have been a lifeline for remote Alaska residents who are able to receive mail at the well-off-the-beaten-path outpost that’s also served as an Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race checkpoint for nearly four decades.

When the U.S. Postal Service announced the closure of nearly 3,700 post office, including 36 in Alaska, Skwentna was on the list. That list of Last Frontier closures has since been pared down to five.

Good news for the Delias and Skwentna, which pushed for its survival. Although the Delias are through running an Iditarod checkpoint (this past March was their 39th and last), the small post office means more to the 48 active boxes it services.

More than a place to receive endless mass-mailings and advertisements, the folks who rely on the Skwentna Post Office do also receive food, medicine, school supplies and even propane at the place.

“The mail flight serves as our commuter plane on a seat-available basis” as well, Delia says in his letter to U.S. Postal Service officials. “People used this to get into the city for doctor appointments, hospital stays, go to an (accountant) to get taxes figured. … In other words, the post office is a lifeline in Skwentna.”

Alaska is unique among the 50 United States in that so much of it is off the road system, and simple things like the closest post office can literally mean life or death for some people.

We’re pleased Skwentna’s been spared from this round of cuts and hope this jewel of our far-reaching Mat-Su Borough will be a lifeline for many years to come.