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