The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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January 13, 2012

Hiring freeze leaves town with limited postal service

By Austin Prickett, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

CARMEN — One town’s post office is set to enter into emergency suspension today because no postmaster has been named.

Carmen’s postmaster position became vacant with the retirement of Sondra Shoemaker in November.

Under emergency suspension, the post office will have its delivery and retail services provided by a rural letter carrier. The rural carrier will deliver the mail to post office boxes and will handle the retail business while at the office. Other retail services will be directed to the Aline Post Office.

Officials with the U.S. Postal Service held a meeting Jan. 4 at Carmen United Methodist Church to discuss the changes and field questions from residents.

Five representatives for USPS were on hand at the meeting, including Debbie Noland, manager of post office operations. Carmen resident Margaret Goss, who attended the meeting, said Noland told the audience USPS has not been allowed to hire level 11 positions. Level 11 is a required qualification for the postmaster position.

Goss said the more than 100 Carmen residents in attendance were frustrated and skeptical of the new services.

“They say the rural letter carrier will have the post office open for 15 minutes a day,” Goss said. “That is not enough time.”

Goss said many businesses in the Carmen area, such as First Carmen Bank and Farmers Cooperative, need the post office due to their time-sensitive mail.

“I don’t even feel like they made an effort to fill the position,” Goss said.

The rural carrier who will service the post office currently delivers mail to 132 Carmen residents. The Carmen Post Office was not listed on the recent Postal Regulatory Commission closures list.

Bill Delano, owner of Delano Feed in Carmen, attended the meeting and said he felt the emergency suspension would be a burden on his business.

“I send a lot of priority mail. If I have to go someplace else to do it, I don’t know how I will handle that,” Delano said.

He said the USPS representatives listened to what he had to say during the meeting, but he believed they already had determined what they were going to do.

“I run a business. If I don’t have someone to do the job, then I’m going to go do it.” Delano said. “Surely someplace in the organization, there is someone that is qualified to come out here and operate this post office,”

Goss said state Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, was present at the meeting and proposed a designated time for the office to be open.

“Cutting services doesn’t improve anything. It doesn’t help them, and it sure doesn’t help us.” Delano said.

USPS officials did not want to comment over the phone for this story, preferring to answer questions via email. However, they had not responded to a News & Eagle email by press time.

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