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!