ORESTES —
The post office is often a central part of life in a small town.
That may never be more true than in Orestes, a community of 300 between Elwood and Alexandria.
“It’s kind of the hub of the town,” Orestes resident Jeff Compton said. “It’s where everybody comes. Other than two churches and the Red Gold, there’s nothing else in Orestes.”
But the Orestes post office branch, along with many others, is in danger of closing. Orestes was named on a national list of more than 3,700 potential closures Tuesday by the United States Postal Service. Ninety-five Indiana branches were identified, including those in Kennard and New Lisbon in Henry County.
Since 1971, the postal service operates as an individual business entity, subject to government regulation but receiving no tax revenue or government subsidy. The reorganizations are an attempt by the USPS to streamline its operation to save money.
According to the International Business Times, the U.S. Postal Service lost upward of $8 billion last year.
Those branches named to the list include what the postal service terms “low activity” offices with average sales of less than $50 per day and a small amount of foot traffic, according to USPS spokeswoman Mary Dando.
“Like any other business, the post office has to look at alternative ways to boost revenue while continuing to serve the community,” Dando said. “I think a lot of people do not think of the postal service as a business but that’s exactly what we are.”
Dando said the postal service is investigating several possibilities for what it calls the “village post office” concept, which would place its former standalone branches in other locations such as grocery stores or town halls. Dando identified 14 sites within 10 miles that would potentially serve Orestes customers, including post offices in Alexandria, Elwood and Summitville as well as CVS, Marsh and KeyBank locations.
Still, Compton said, depriving Orestes of its post office may strip away a major part of its identity.
“I understand they’ve got to make cuts in certain areas, but I don’t see how they can do it here,” Compton said. “There are no stores in Orestes. People would have to go into Elwood or Frankton to get their mail.”
Dando emphasized that the list was only a study and that not every branch listed would necessarily be closed or relocated.
“We want to hear from people in a town hall-type setting,” she said. “We are going to give people plenty of opportunities to express to us what they want. If this goes forward in your community, we are going to explore alternative delivery options to make sure everyone can still receive their mail. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight.”
If the people of Orestes have any say, it likely wouldn’t happen at all. Compton said that losing the post office would have a major impact on many people in his community.
“I know we don’t have a lot of people here, but that’s the nice thing about living in a small town,” he said. “It would be a shame if the 300 people here had to go somewhere else to get their mail.”
Contact Michael D. Doyle: 640-4805, michael.doyle@heraldbulletin.com
Local News
Related Photos
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Postal worker Kim Terry helps Halynn DeHart, 8, at the counter of the Orestes Post Office on Tuesday afternoon. The small-town branch is on a list of branches that will be studied for possible closure. John P. Cleary
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