Rural post offices remain open; some get longer hours - KOTA Territory News

Rural post offices remain open; some get longer hours

The U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday that instead of shutting down rural post offices, it will reduce the hours at thousands of locations to save money.

The post office in Leiter, Wyo., was one of 3,700 the USPS talked about closing last year.
 
"We really want our post office," said longtime Leiter resident Billie Little. "We want to keep it, it's important to us, and it's part of our identity."
 
Which is Little, who's lived there for 45 years, is glad her community is staying intact.
 
"It's the social event of the day," she said of going to the post office. "You know, you come down and you run into some friends and you're able to visit. And a lot of times it's near lunch, why, people will stop and stay for lunch and visit some more."
 
With a restaurant and bar attached, Leiter's post office is pretty much the gathering place for the community.
 
"That's our regular, everyday customers. We have wonderful people here," said Stephannie Garnica.
 
Garnica runs the restaurant. She says the threat of the post office closing had her a little worried.
 
"I don't know that it would have closed me down," she said, "but, you know, it would have had a big impact."
 
That's something she no longer has to worry about. In fact, she might see more business.

Right now, Leiter is one of the few post offices on the list to get a bump up in hours, from four to six a day.
 
"I'm sure all my neighbors and everybody is happy," she said.
 
Wyoming Post Office spokesman David Rupert didn't know why Leiter might see more hours, and he cautioned the list is preliminary.

But it's still an exciting prospect for a post office that serves people with no other option.
 
"When they come in from a long distance, it's hard to hit that timeline," Little said.

The Postal Service hasn't finalized any changes just yet, but you can find a full list of proposed modifications here.