Papers are at the Escrow Company

The papers were signed yesterday, July 8th, and Fedex-ed to the Escrow Company. A package showing the sale of the property is on its' way to the USPS...looks like it is in the bag.

To celebrate, a couple of Deer Harbor "bag ladies" have designed this logo, and are having it printed on bags. To order one, cut and paste the order form below or call -2189. Sadly, I've done a poor job transferring the image. Below our zip code it says, "We pushed the Envelope 2009-2020.

Here's the Order Form:

IT’S IN THE BAG ! THE POST OFFICE IS SAVED

Our message was finally heard, and it is time to celebrate! A”snailbag” is a reminder of what we have achieved, preserved, and created by “pushing the envelope”: ten years of secure mail delivery, neighborly chats, new funding for the Deer Harbor Community Club.

Yes, I want _______ “snailbags” @ $10.00 each. Total _______

Name: _____________________________ Phone: ______________

I will pick up my bag(s) at the Post Office between 10 a. and 1 p.m.
(Check date you prefer, or call 376-2189.)
□ MON 7/27 □ TUES 7/28 □ WED 7/29
Make Checks payable to DHCC/PO at pick up.

BIG thank you to Waldron Islanders!!!

Even though the USPS promised Waldron Islanders that there would be no change in their mail service if the Deer Harbor Post Office closed, they stepped up to the plate in support of the Deer Harbor post office once again with significant donations to our Post Office Campaign.

THANK YOU WALDRON!!!

Tomorrow is the closing date--the Deer Harbor Post Office Property will become the property of the Deer Harbor Community Club. If you have not sent in your contribution, please do so by this afternoon!

The Final Days

With just one week to go before finalizing the sale of the DH post office, we are in good shape. Donations and pledges so far total $125,000 toward our total purchase price of $250,000. We have private individuals willing to make up the difference through loans to the Deer Harbor Community Club, and the rental income paid by the US Postal Service will be enough to service the loans.

If you haven't yet made a donation, please consider doing so today. The more cash in hand we have going forward, the less debt the Community Club will have to take on.

We are very grateful for the pledges people have made, but as we get down to the wire on the closing date, we need to have cash in hand. If you have made a pledge, but haven't yet written the check, please do so today. Send the check to the Deer Harbor Community Club Post Office Fund, PO Box 57, Deer Harbor, WA 98243.

A huge thanks to everyone who gave their time, money, and support to saving our Deer Harbor Post Office!!

Final Days of the Effort to Purchase the Deer Harbor Post Office--Please Help

We are at a crucial point in our effort to save the Deer Harbor Post Office.

The Deer Harbor Community has a one-time opportunity to buy the Deer Harbor Post Office property, and secure a 10-year lease commitment from the US Postal Service. If we fail to raise the money and purchase the post office property, we will probably lose the Deer Harbor Post Office forever.

As of yesterday, donors had contributed and pledged just under $93,000 towards the $250,000 needed. We must raise as close to $250,000 as possible before the closing date of July 8th. (The USPS granted us a 12 day extension--whew!)

We have received donations from $100 to $10,000 so far. Any donation you can give will be helpful and very appreciated. Your donation is tax deductible to the full extent provided by law. (The DH Community Club is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit.)


If for some reason the purchase of the post office property falls through, all donations will be returned in full.

Please make checks payable to the Deer Harbor Community Club, and mark them "Post Office Purchase." Mail donations to:
Deer Harbor Community Club
PO Box 57
Deer Harbor, WA 98243

A Donation Form, FAQ, and Letter is posted on the Deer Harbor Community Club Website.
Thank you for your support!!!

We're Getting Close!

The Deer Harbor Community Club Board met Friday, May 22, to appoint a steering committee to oversee raising $250,000 to purchase the Deer Harbor post office property for from Wyndham Worldwide.

Due to the short time line—the sale closes on June 26th--the Community Club Board decided to abandon plans for a major fund raising event such as an auction or concert, and focus on securing donations.

At this time the legal aspects of the transaction are being reviewed, but we are very close to our goal of saving the Deer Harbor Post Office, and will soon need your financial support to make this goal a reality.

By Sunday evening, May 31st, the Steering Committee will announce where and how you can donate to the PO acquisition fund.

Please come to the blog after Sunday for the details.

The Next Step

Wyndham Worldwide has agreed to sell the Deer Harbor post office building to the Deer Harbor Community Club for $250,000.

The plan is to raise $100,000 in donations, and take out a bank loan for the remaining $150,000 if we can secure an affordable bank loan. The Community Club is a non-profit, which means donations to the post office fund will be tax deductible.

We need to raise the money before the closing date of June 26^th. The post office committee is meeting Friday evening to formulate fund raising plans. Everything is going to have to happen very quickly.

The Future of the Deer Harbor Post Office is Now in Our Hands

As of this afternoon, May 19^th, we have a commitment from Wyndham Worldwide to sell the Deer Harbor post office building to the community, AND a commitment from the US Postal Service  to remove the Deer Post office from the list of post offices to be closed, and to enter into a lease agreement with the community.

This would not have happened without the dedication and determination of the residents of Deer Harbor.  The committee wishes to thank everyone for their support, letter writing, and donations—it all made a difference.

NOW, we have a daunting task ahead of us.  Before the closing date of June 26, 2009, we have several things to do, not the least of which is fund raising.

The committee needs 48 hours to get together and figure out the next part of this process.  Stay tuned for further information!

Announced May 9th, 2009 at the Deer Harbor Community Potluck

Friday night, May 9^th, at the Deer Harbor Pot Luck, Erik Smith reported the following progress on our Save the Deer Harbor Post Office campaign:

When the post office officials who visited Deer Harbor nixed the two existing houses and two bare land properties the committee offered as potential locations for the post office, the committee decided on an alternative plan—try to BUY the existing post office and acquire a new lease from the USPS.

Even though most of us refer to the owners of the Deer Harbor Resort as TrendWest, the entire property, including the post office building, is currently owned by Wyndham Worldwide, a huge hotel and timeshare company that owns the Ramada Inn, Days Inn, Super8 and Travel Lodge chains among others.

About three weeks ago the committee made an offer to buy the post office building from Wyndham.  On Friday afternoon, May 9, Wyndham came back with counter offer.

In principal the post office has agreed to renew the lease on the Deer Harbor Post Office if the community should become the landowner.  This arrangement would be cost effective for the USPS because they would not have to spend money to increase the capacity of any other post office on Orcas, nor would they have to install mailbox kiosks in Deer Harbor. 

If we are able to reach the final agreement with both Wyndham to sell the current post office building to the community, and the USPS to keep the Deer Harbor post office opened sign a new lease ten year lease, we will,

• A.  Celebrate
  
• B.  o some serious fundraising

Many details need to be worked out, but it looks very hopeful at this point.

Stay tuned!

It's Been Awhile...but things are in the works

It has been a while since we've posted anything here.  Several possibilities are in the works, but there is nothing definite yet, and rather than speculate on a possibilities, the committee has decided to wait until there is solid news to report, which will hopefully be soon.

What is certain is the Deer Harbor post office status will not change before February 2010, and we are very hopeful about the future of the Deer Harbor Post Office beyond February 2010.  

Thanks to everyone who has written letters, donated money, and supported our local post office!

Some Bits and Pieces

Request for Postal Building Requirements
Last week Cathy Young, Facilities Requirement Specialist, and Les Stewart, Operations Manager, both from the Seattle Office of USPS, visited Deer Harbor. Ms. Young invited our committee to submit a proposal detailing our plans to find, develop, and possibly fund an alternative site for the Deer Harbor Post Office. She promised she would forward our proposal to the appropriate officials in the Denver USPS Office. At that time, Ms. Young was unable to provide us with any of building requirements for a post office. We have sent a letter formally requesting a list of these requirements so that we can draft a cogent proposal.

Letter Campaign...THANKS!
The Committee thanks everyone who has already sent off their letters to our Congressional Delegation, and urge those who have not done so to mail theirs as soon as possible.

Meeting With Catherine Nash, Regional Head of USPS
Two committee members are planning to meet with Ms. Nash, Regional Director of the USPS in Seattle next week, if her schedule will allow.

Meeting with Seattle USPS Officials, Report

Apr. 8th,
Today the Save the Deer Harbor Post Office Committee met with Les Stewart, Operations Manager, and Kathy Young, Facilities Requirement Specialist, from the Seattle District Office of the USPS.

The Committee asked the Post Office Officials to explain where the Deer Harbor Post Office stands right now. Both officials said that the current USPS policy is to consolidate post offices within 10 miles another post office. And, more importantly, post offices facing termination of of their leases are looked upon as prime opportunities for closure. Thus we have two strikes against us.

After explaining our circumstance--difficult roads, serving outlying islands, etc., we asked what it would take to continue to have a post office in Deer Harbor. Their response was:

1. The USPS would consider a proposal from the DH Community if the community committed to build or convert an existing building, to USPS specifications, at the community's expense. We have two weeks to make such a proposal.
   
2. When asked what would happen if TrendWest were to extend our lease, the officials said that would be a major consideration in our favor.
3. No matter what happens, we are guaranteed that delivery of mail to Deer Harbor would continue, but that the facilities might be a central collection of lock boxes, rather than a post office.
   

The committee also received a letter from our Congressman, Rick Larsen, who has contacted postal officials on our behalf. Given all the issues facing our nation at this time, we really appreciate Congressman Larsen's efforts on our behalf, and look forward to his continued support.

PROGRESS!

FIRST:
Howard Barbour telephoned Katherine Nash, Regional Director of the USPS in Seattle this morning. She is aware of our dilemma, and again emphasized the financial constraints facing the USPS. She was assured that we had a lot of community support and community finances to build or adapt an existing building for post office use. She once again assured us that a no decision has been made to close the Deer Harbor Post Office, BUT we are one of four post offices whose leases will expire within the year, and who are under scrutiny by the Postal Service because of lease status.

The Postal Closure Committee has met to consider the 4 post offices without leases. Nash did not know what the Committee had decided, but will pass along those findings to the Deer Harbor Committee as soon as they are available.

Nash was asked if she would meet with representatives from the Deer Harbor Committee in Seattle, or send a delegation to Deer Harbor. She said both were possible, and further that she would meet with us providing she was in town, on any date we choose.

SECOND
This afternoon, Kathy Young, Facilities Specialist for the Post Office, Seattle, contacted us and told us she would be visiting Orcas and would like to meet with the committee on Wednesday.

Mass Mailing

To those of you who are waiting for your packets to mail to our Congressional Representatives:

They will be in your mailboxes by Tuesday, April 7th. For the time being, the committee has decided not to include USPS representatives in the mass mailing. The committee is going to first attempt to arrange a meeting with the Regional Director of the USPS. If that fails, then we will proceed with a mass mailing to postal officials.

Thank you for your support and interest.
The Committee to Save the Deer Harbor Post Office

MORE RUMOR CONTROL

In spite of what you may have heard, we have had NO WORD from the Postal Service that the Deer Harbor Post Office is specifically being considered for closure. EVERY rural post office across the nation is being considered for closure, including other Orcas Post Offices.

All we know for certain is that TrendWest has canceled the DH Post Office's lease, effective Feb. 2010.

Things you can do to help the Deer Harbor Post Office remain a viable entity:

1. PAY for your post office box
2. Conduct your postal business in Deer Harbor
3. If you are a Click and Ship customer, please use the Deer Harbor Zip Code
4. Try not to panic and abandon Deer Harbor in favor of the Orcas Landing or Eastsound post offices.

THANK YOU to the more than 70 volunteers who've signed up to write letters, organize packets, and send emails. And THANK YOU to the many many people who have donated a total as of today of $1700!

Support from Waldron Island

We received the following letter from the Waldron Community Chairperson:

To the Deer Harbor Save the Post Office Committee,

The Waldron Community understands the importance of a Post Office in terms of convenience, commerce and as a valuable component of local community.

We support the Deer Harbor Community's efforts to maintain their Post Office. The Waldron mail comes through the Deer Harbor Post Office and is then transferred by boat to the Waldron Post Office. Any alternative location would greatly impact the Waldron Community. It would result in much more time to transfer the mail, and it would increase fuel costs. Not only would moving the Deer Harbor Post Office create a higher cost to getting mail to Waldron, but Deer Harbor is the safest harbor on Orcas Island, and any alternative location could potentially create problems in getting mail during the winter months or in inclement weather conditions.

Thank You for your Consideration
Janice Lyons
Waldron Community Meeting Chair

RUMOR CONTROL

Please Note:
NO official announcement has been made about the closure of the Deer Harbor Post Office. Catherine Nash is the District Manager of the US Post Office, and supposedly announced in Washington DC that the Deer Harbor Post Office is slated for closure. THIS IS NOT TRUE.

We must be careful of rumors. The Postal Service has a process for closure that includes an OFFICIAL announcement, and 150 day period for the community to respond. The only announcement we have received from the Postal Service is that they are currently studying the viability of ALL rural post offices, NATIONWIDE.

Time to Write Letters to Congrressional Representatives and Postal Officials

The Committee to Save the Deer Harbor Post Office is now preparing packets of letters and mailing labels (10 per packet). These will be provided free to folks who volunteered to participate in the mail campaign. The letters can be simply signed and sent, or personalized. If you want a packet and have not signed up, call 376-6051, ask for a mailing packet, and provide your mailing address.

Some folks will prefer to write their own letters. Below are key addresses of our Congressional delegation and other addresses for the Post Office campaign. Here are key points to consider when writing to these busy people who receive hundreds of requests every day from their constituents:

State Our Case, but Keep it Brief:

• Use just a couple sentences to explain our issue. (Ex. we are an isolated rural community, the PO is our community center, and also serves two even more remote island communities, and our Post. The Post Office has lost its lease, and faces closure.)
• Rather than explain every reason the Deer Harbor PO should remain opened, choose one: It's environmentally more sensible. The PO is community center. It is not cost effective to close the PO, etc. One strong argument is more effective than a scattered approach. Since many people are writing letters, trust that all the issues will be covered.
  

State What you Would Like the Elected Representative to Do, For example:

• Contact officials at the USPS on our behalf and advocate for saving the DHPO.
• Contact the USPS officials and request that they communicat with the Save the Deer Harbor Post Office Committee.
• Contact the USPS officials and determine if the Deer Harbor Post Office has already been put on the closure list, and report back to us.

And Finally, of Course, Be Courteous:

• Ask rather than demand.
• Do not write more than one or two words in all caps. THAT IS LIKE SHOUTING.

Addresses:

The Honorable Patty Murray
United States Senate
173 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4701
e-mail: murray.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

The Honorable Maria Cantwell
United States Senate
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4704
e-mail: cantwell.senate.gov/contact/

The Honorable Rick R. Larsen
United States House of Representatives
108 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4702
e-mail from www.house.gov/larsen/contact/

The Honorable John E. Porter
U.S. Postmaster General/CEO
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW
Washington, DC 20260-0010
e-mail pmgceo@usps.gov

Ms. Katherine Nash, District Manager
U.S. Postal Service
P.O. Box 90400
Seattle, WA 98109-9997
e-mail: katherine.s.nash@usps.com

Office of the Secretary
U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission
901 New York Avenue NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20268-0001

Interesting Facts About the Deer Harbor Post Office

• Deer Harbor has had a post office since 1893.
• PAYING for your post office box is a major way you can support our Post Office.
  
• At least 45 Small Businesses rely on the Deer Harbor Post Office daily.
  
• According to ZipSkinny.com there are 165 housing units in Deer Harbor, but if all tax parcels were developed, the number of homes would triple.
  
• The Current Deer Harbor Post Office building was constructed specifically for a post office by Dave McIntyre in the 1970's.
  
• TrendWest owns the Deer Harbor Post Office building (Tax parcel 260734004000, that is a mere .08 of an acre.) The parking lot behind the post office belongs to the marina (tax parcel 260734001000, covering .49 acres.)

The Importance of Small Post Offices

The following article is from the Washington Branch of the National Association of Postmasters of US (NAPUS): The division of Retired Postmasters is very active in advising communities when their local post office is threatened with closure. The Ardenvoir PO is housed in the Cooper General Store, pictured here.

Dec. 2008, Ardenvoir PO Told They Would Be Closed
The patrons of the Ardenvoir Post Office in Eastern Washington, with its population of 200 and the rental of 74 PO Boxes received a letter in their PO Box dated Dec. 16, 2008 that stated that as of Jan. 16, 2009, all postal operations, including post office box mail delivery would be suspended at the Ardenvoir Post Office.

Retired Postmasters Help Save the PO
Upon being contracted and appraised of the impending move, a trip was made (by Retired NAPUS members) to the community to see and hear their reaction. People were very upset and wanted to know what they could do. They were given the names of key persons to contact, inclding the Seattle District Manager, their congressman and US Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. They had a petition signed by over 100 people that they presented to some of the listed persons.

Ardenvoir A Zipless Town?
On Dec. 31, 2008, the headline story on the front page of the Wenatchee Daily World led off with "Now a Zipless Town?" It contained a picture and story about the impending suspension of services. A survey and insection of the Ardenvoir Post Office was made by selected Postal Officials. On Jan. 9,2009, a news item quietly appeared on page 2 in the Wenatchee paper stating that the Postal Service would let the Cooper General Store keep its Post Office and Ardenvoir could keep its 98111 zip!

NOTE: Our group has been in contact with the Retired Postmasters, and received helpful advice from them.

Environmental Impact of Deer Harbor Post Office Closure By Larry Coddington

First the disclaimer; I am not a scientist, however all the numbers used are pulled from practical experience . What is overwhelmingly apparent is, the loss the Deer Harbor Post Office will significantly affect the amount of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, resulting from longer and more trips to the Post Office in Eastsound or possibly Orcas Landing .

With the help of Map Quest, I determined that:

• The mail truck goes 12 miles out of its way to bring the mail to Deer Harbor. It does this twice a day, six days a week, totaling 144 miles a week. Assuming 7 mpg, that works out to an extra 20.5 gallons per week to deliver the mail to Deer Harbor.
• There are 318 mail boxes at the Deer Harbor post office so let's pick a number of 200, assuming some patrons are part-time residents and some people have 2 boxes for business reasons If each family makes one round trip to East Sound (22 miles, 6 times a week to pick-up mail & mail packages) it becomes 132 miles by 200 residents which comes to 26,400 miles. If the average car gets 18 mpg for 26,400 miles, fuel used would be 1,466.6 gallons of gas per week.
• Of the 200 residents who presently use the post office, twenty live close enough to walk. Assuming the average round trip to the D.H. Post Office is 3 mi. for 180 residents, that's 540 miles six times a week for a total of 3,240 miles. At 18 mpg, that's 180 gallons of gas per week.
• So the present use is about 180 gallons by postal patrons, and 20.5 by the mail truck, for a total of about 200.5 gallons per week. Whereas 200 people driving to Eastsound six times a week would use 1,466.6 gallons. The difference is 1,266.1 gallons a week of potential fuel usage, if we lose the Deer Harbor Post Office. This translates to 65,832 gallons a year that would release about 1,316,640 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.

Granted some people will car pool, and some will go to town only a couple times a week. However, it should be clear that a much larger amount of fuel would be used in addition to the amount of pollution released. We need to solve our problems without creating bigger ones. Help keep our Post Office viable, pay rent on a post office box, and choose to ship by mail whenever possible.

Thanks for giving this your consideration.

The Story So Far:

• Trend West Ends Lease with DHPO--The Deer Harbor Post Office lease with Trend West expires February, 2010, and Trend West has expressed a determination NOT to renew the lease, meaning that the Deer Harbor Post Office will have to move from its current location or close.
• Committee Forms to Find New Location--In October 2008 an informal group of community members identified four possible alternative sites for the Post Office. Two of the possibilities are existing buildings, and two are vacant building sites.
• Citizens Contact USPO Property Dept. In early November 2008, community members wrote a letter to the Property Department of the US Postal Service inviting the department to inspect the 4 sites and determine their suitability for a Post Office.
• DH Committee Informed of Rural Post Office Closures In mid-December the Property Department of the US Post Office contacted community members and stated that the viability of ALL rural post offices in the US were under review, and the review would not be completed until mid-summer 2009, so they could take no action on a new site for the Deer Harbor Post Office until that time.
  
• DHPO on a Tight Timeline--We responded that with an expiring lease, the community could not wait until mid-summer 2009 to begin the process of relocating the Post Office. We explained that the community whole-heartedly supports the continuation of a Post Office in Deer Harbor, and that the Postal Service should expect to see a vigorous campaign by the Deer Harbor community to keep the Post Office opened. We received no response to that communication.
• Congressman Larson Contacted--In early February 2009, we contacted Congressman Rick Larsen and explained our situation to him, with the hope that we could recruit his help. We have not had any response from Congressman Larson.
• Established Committee to Save DHPO--On Sunday, March 8th, the first meeting of the Committee to Save Deer Harbor Post Office was held.

Committee members are:
Howard Barbour
Larry Coddington
Mike Coughlin
Clay Parsons
Erik Smith
Norm Zimlich

Barbara Bedell has agreed to work with the Committee to put together the "Our Case" paper which may be used to explain our cause to the media, other Orcas residents, etc.

Proceedings from this meeting will be posted at a later date. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates. You can also subscribe to receive updates to your email address.