U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) on Monday requested answers from the U.S. Postal Service regarding what steps they plan to take to restore standard postal services to Lynchburg, Ohio.
Currently, local residents have been without normal service following a fire at the post office in Lynchburg on June 16 which closed the branch indefinitely, according to a news release from Wenstrup’s office.
Residents must now drive to Hillsboro to retrieve their mail, an inconvenience that requires some residents to drive up to 20 miles to pick up their mail.
Wenstrup wrote a letter to Michael Gordon, Midwest Regional Director of the USPS, who is based in Washington, D.C.
“As we approach the winter months, citizen safety is of paramount concern given the required drive for some constituents to retrieve their mail,” said Wenstrup. “The Lynchburg community is a rural community where roads can be especially hazardous during inclement winter weather. This will be especially challenging for senior citizens, many who depend on USPS for delivery of their life-saving medications.”
Wenstrup wrote, “My constituents are frustrated and angry at the lack of progress to find a temporary solution to have reliable mail access until the post office can be rebuilt.”
In mid September, Annie Cummins, a representative from Wenstrup’s office, said the U.S. Postal Service planned to rebuild the Lynchburg office, and that there were plans for a modular unit on the property in the meantime. But no timeline for those structures has ever been made public.
The Lynchburg Post Office sustained what reported as significant damage during the June fire. Since that time Lynchburg postal employees have been working out of the Hillsboro Post Office at 301 N. High St., Hillsboro. Hours of operation for the Hillsboro Post Office are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until noon. The lobby is open 24 hours for P.O. Box access.”
Cummins said in September that if residents need immediate assistance while the office is suspended, they can contact Lynchburg Postmaster Amy Coleman at 937-366-9013.
