‘This came out of nowhere': Winfield post office closing Sept. 30

Chicago Tribune

7 hours ago

The Winfield postal substation will be stamped closed on Sept. 30.
Notice of contract termination was emailed by a U.S. Postal Service official earlier this week to Amy Culver, the customer service agent for the post office, and George and Diane Smith, owners of the building, which shares space with U-Haul Rentals.
Susan W. Wright, Strategic Communications Specialist for the U.S. Postal Corporate Communications, when asked the reason behind the termination, responded with the following email:
'The Postal Service sometimes contracts with retailers to host Contract Postal Units, or CPUs, within a retail establishment, operated by the retailer's employee. CPUs can provide communities with expanded access to postal services, but they are not operated by the Postal Service. In all instances, CPU agreements may be terminated by either party upon 120 days' written notice.'
'In the case of the Winfield CPU at 8380 E. 109th Ave., Crown Point, the Postal Service determined the nearby postal facilities are able to fully serve the community and the CPU was no longer needed.'
Wright, in her email, said she had no information about changes to be made in the Leroy Post Office, 14120 Elkhart St., located south of Winfield in Leroy.
The Winfield postal substation was opened in April 2021 and before that was housed for many years inside the former Fagen Pharmacy, now CVS Pharmacy, 10809 Randolph St., before Fagen's closed in 2017.
The town of Winfield and nearby unincorporated Lakes of the Four Seasons, which use a Crown Point ZIP code, have mail delivered through the Crown Point Post Office on Summit Street in Crown Point.
Crown Point Postmaster Rhianna Derolf could not be reached for comment.
The Smiths, with whom the contract is held, said the termination email came from Shaun D. LaBay, a contracting officer for the United States Postal Service in Aurora, Colorado.
He referred all questions to the postal service communications services in Washington, D.C.
Culver and the Smiths said they were blindsided by the email notifying them of the 120-day termination since they thought all was well.
'This came out of nowhere,' Culver said.
The Smiths said they agreed to house the post office substation and sign a contract with U.S. Postal officials as a way to give back to the Winfield and Lakes of the Four Seasons area, where they have lived for close to 40 years.
The feedback the Smiths have received from the community over the last four years has been great.
'We can't walk down the street without someone saying thank you to us…The town has been good to us and this is our payback to them,' George Smith said.
The Smiths receive no rental income from the U.S. Postal Service and only a small percentage back from such things as sale of stamps, which they have to purchase from postal officials.
Town Council President Zack Beaver and Winfield Township Trustee Cody Reynolds voiced disappointment about the closure.
Both Beaver and Reynolds said their attempts to reach out to the Crown Point Post Office were unsuccessful, as were calls made by Post-Tribune.
'It's a shame it's being closed because it serves thousands of residents,' Beaver said.
Reynolds credited his predecessor, former Winfield Township Trustee Paulette Skinner, for pushing to get the substation reopened after it was closed in 2018 after Fagen Pharmacy closed.
On June 26, 2018, Skinner's office sent state officials a petition with the signatures of 2,548 residents asking to restore postal services.
'Given the township's history on this we are actively engaged,' Reynolds said.
Reynolds issued a statement from the Winfield Township Trustee's Office, which in part, condemned the termination action and even addressed the possibility of the closure of another nearby post office located in Leroy.
'The Winfield Township Board and I are vehemently opposed to the closure of one or both of these facilities.
If this is allowed to happen, these decisions will leave a 25.5-square-mile area without service from a local post office. Residents would be forced to travel 5 or more miles away just to find the next closest facility, Reynolds said in his statement.
'We also have to take into account that both of these substations may also be the closest facilities for a number of people who live outside of Winfield Township, particularly those in Porter and Union Townships in Porter County. Ultimately, this decision could end up affecting almost 25,000 residents.'
Reynolds said he is already communicating with other local, state and federal officials to do all officials can do to reach a positive outcome for the community.
'As more information becomes available, we will work to keep the members of our community fully informed on this issue,' Reynolds said.
Any questions can be directed to either the Winfield Township Trustee's Office, at 219-663-7027 or the Crown Point branch of the U.S. Postal Service at 219-663-0062.