Fairfield residents very concerned at possible loss of their Post Office

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 4 p.m. –– Residents of Fairfield are ready to speak out at a meeting next week regarding the possible closing of their post office.

Customers of the Fairfield Post Office recently received a letter and questionaire from the Louisville manager of post office operations to alert them of a meeting to gather opinions and answer their questions regarding “a possible change in the way your postal service is provided.” The meeting with post office officials is set for 6 p.m. Monday, March 14th at Gardiner Hall, located behind St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Click here to download a PDF copy of the letter.

A postal service review of the business activities at the Fairfield office show that the workload has fallen. The letter says the office’s window transactions have fallen to an average of 19 per day.

“The recommended change is tentative and will not lead to a formal proposal unless we conclude that it will provide a maximum degree of regular and effective service,” the letter states.

Mail delivery could be provided through alterative services, such as PO Box units in a local retail business or via rural delivery out of the Cox’s Creek, Taylorsville or Bloomfield post offices. Additionally, the letter points out that the Bloomfield Post Office is 3.8 miles away and offers PO Box lobby service 24 hours a day.

“I invite you to think about a possible change to rural delivery service,” the letter states.

The Fairfield Post Office does not offer rural mail delivery service to its customers; to get their mail, Fairfield Post Office customers must visit the post office to retrieve their mail. But the loss of their post office has Fairfield residents concerned.

-30-