Expansion under way at local Post Office
By Bill Lawson / Staff Writer / blawson@maumellemonitor.com
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 10:49 AM CST
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| An expansion project at the Maumelle Post Office may provide more parking and space but it’ s unlikely to solve resident’s biggest complaints — one person selling stamps at a time and the ZIP code (Bill Lawson).
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If there’s anything Maumelle residents complain about more than the traffic and the weather — it’s the post office.
City leaders have ventured to Washington to lobby for a new post office but they’ve been told the current satellite post office in Maumelle is large enough to handle the city’s needs. Cabot has also been lobbying for a second post office to no avail except for a new satellite mailing site in a commercial business.
Observers said politics might have something to do with the location of post offices. While both Maumelle and Cabot — two of the fastest growing cities in the state — have only one post office each, Camden in south Arkansas, roughly the same size population, has five. Camden is the home of both former U.S. Senator and Governor David Pryor and the late U.S. Senator John L. McClellan, who once was the powerful chairman of the Senate appropriations committee.
At a community forum in 2007, residents complained that they stood outside in the rain waiting to get in the post office to conduct business. They say there’s often a line stringing outside during rush hours. More than anything else, residents complain about only one staff person selling stamps and conducting business at a time with a line that stretches outside during rush hours.
Since October, construction has been underway at the Maumelle post office to expand its capabilities.
Leisa Tolliver-Gay, a spokeswoman for the U. S Postal Service, said the current 6,475 foot building is being expanded by 1,845 feet and the dock is being expanded by 175 square feet to provide a mailing platform of 415 square feet.
“The workroom and dock expansion will provide adequate space to perform mail distribution activities, as well as the carrier operation, for the foreseeable future. The retail and P.O. box lobby meet the needs of the community and will remain as-is,” Tolliver-Gay said.
She said the biggest problem at the post office was the lack of parking space and that employees were using 14 of the available 26 parking spaces.
“This was creating numerous customer complaints due to a lack of parking at the facility during peak business hours. To solve this parking deficiency on an immediate basis, the business located next to the post office is currently allowing our employees to utilize 14 parking spaces located at the rear of our facility temporarily. The employee parking lot currently has 16 standard spaces and 1 handicap space. A parking lot expansion project to the West of the existing building is currently underway which will add an additional 28 employee parking spaces.”
She said the parking lot project was scheduled to be complete by mid-February and the building by mid-April. But she said dates may slip for weather related delays.
In addition to the U.S. Post Office, there are at least two other commercial mailing facilities in Maumelle.
Oran and Penny Hardcastle are Maumelle residents who own and operate Maumelle Mailroom, Inc.
“We do custom packaging of a customer’s items and will then ship FedEx, UPS or postal and we also sell stamps, Hardcastle said. “Of course we also sell boxes and packing material.”
Hardcastle is also the chief photographer for KTHV-TV news, a retired Arkansas National Guard Staff Sergeant and he said he helps his wife run the business.
He said drop off packages for all carriers (FedEx, UPS, Postal & DHL) is always free, but as of this month DHL, will only ship international.
In addition to offering mailbox rental ($45/$60/$75 every six months) Hardcastle said they offer notary service, fax, copies, laminating, office supplies, business cards and custom rubber stamps. They also sale Maumelle Sweatshirts and Harley-Davidson collectibles (model bikes, wall art, lighters, etc.).
“Most importantly, we are locally owned, keeping Maumelle money in Maumelle,” Hardcastle said.
UPS also operates a store in Maumelle that offers shipping services.
In response to questions about Maumelle sharing a zip code with North Little Rock and if a growing Maumelle might ever have its own ZIP code, Tolliver-Gay said, “The ZIP Code is primarily used in Maumelle. ZIP codes were developed by the Postal Service to process and deliver the mail. There is not a specific number that is needed to get a ZIP Code, it would depend on the volume of the mail as well as the number of deliveries.”
