Official says Dimock mail service will not be hurt if post office closes

• Dimock meeting

Paul Turnbull, of the U.S. Postal Service, talks to Dimock residents Friday at Hofer’s Lounge in Dimock about options they would have to receive their mail if the Dimock post office were to close. (Chris Huber/Republic)

Talk about it

DIMOCK — A U.S. Postal Service official told Dimock residents Friday that the service they receive will not be negatively affected if the town’s post office is closed.

“Wherever there is an address and they want delivery, the postal service will go there,” Turnbull said. “Customers still get the same service, but the time and model will change.”

If the Dimock post office closes, an existing business in Dimock could take on the role of a village post office and offer packaging services and stamps to residents in place of an official post office.

A collection box unit could be put in place for residents who were using a post office box.

A small group of Dimock residents attended the meeting Friday at Hofer’s Restaurant and Lounge, but their comments were few. The Dimock post office is one of 10 post offices in the Mitchell region being considered for closure, and is among 80 in South Dakota and 3,700 nationwide up for closure.

According to Paul Turnbull, manager of post office operations in the area, the postal service had an $8 billion deficit last year, on top of defaulting on a $5.5 billion payment it must make to fund health care for its retirees.

It’s projected the Postal Service will be losing $20 billion a year by 2020.

“We need to make changes now, so instead of going out of existence entirely, we can still provide the same service to our customers,” Turnbull said.

Turnbull referred to the proposed changes as consolidations, not closures.

“Consolidation is the word of today’s economy,” Turnbull said.

“The only reason businesses consolidate is to survive, and that’s what the Postal Service will do.”

Conda Green, post office review coordinator, was also in attendance at the meeting.

She explained the procedure for how the decision regarding the closure of Dimock’s post office will play out.

According to Green, the proposal for closure is posted for 60 days at the Dimock post office, during which time residents are free to give their opinions on the proposal.

An additional review by postal service management will take place after the 60 days, which will take the opinions of local residents into consideration.

After a decision is made, it will be posted at the post office for 30 days. Customers have the right to appeal that decision.

If the decision were appealed, the Postal Regulatory Commission would go through a 120-day review process.

Whatever the fate of the Dimock post office, Turnbull said the decision will be made for the greater good of the postal service.

“I take pride in driving through a town and seeing the only business running is the post office and the only flag flying is in front of the post office,” Turnbull said.

Chris Huber/Republic

Paul Turnbull, of the U.S. Postal Service, talks to Dimock residents Friday at Hofer’s Lounge in Dimock about options they would have to receive their mail if the Dimock post office were to close.

Tags: our towns, postal service, post office, dimock, mail