The Como Branch post office will reopen in a new location in the 55108 ZIP Code area, but that location has not been determined.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has approved funding to lease a new site in the neighborhood. The next step is finding 966 square feet of space to house the operation, said USPS spokesperson Pete Nowacki.
Before a space can be leased, the USPS is required to hold a public meeting to gather community input. That meeting is set for Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 5 p.m. at Luther Seminary’s Olson Campus Center, dining room A & B, 1490 Fulham St. USPS representatives will present a proposal for the relocation at the meeting.
Written comments on the proposal will be accepted until Jan. 7, and may be submitted to Greg Shelton, real estate specialist, USPS, 200 E. Kentucky Ave., Denver, CO 80209-9950.
The USPS plans to open the new post office “as close to the original facility as possible,” Nowacki said. The new facility will have the same amount of post office boxes and counter space as the former site, he said.
The U.S. Postal Service’s lease at 2286 Como Ave. expired in November and the post office closed on Nov. 13. Post office boxes at that station have been temporarily moved to the Roseville Branch at 2000 W. County Road B2. The Como Station post office had been in that building since 1970.
Word that the post office may close began when the building went on the market a year ago. In February, Frattallone’s Ace Hardware made a bid for the property. In June, co-owner Tom Frattallone said the company had planned to open a store in late February 2016. The Bugle has not been able to get an update on the company’s plans.
In the meantime, area post office branches and stations are listed below:
Roseville station, 2000 W. County Road B2. Retail hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-1 pm. The lobby is open 24 hours a day.
Minnesota Transfer Station, 2334 W. University Ave. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2:30-5 p.m.
University Station, 2811 University Ave. S.E., Minneapolis. Retail hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
St. Paul Student Center, 2017 Buford Ave., has a postal station at the center’s information desk on the lower level. That station is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday, noon-5 p.m.
Looking for a place to process a passport?
The closest locations to do that are the Roseville License Center, 2737 N. Lexington Ave., or the Minneapolis Main Post Office, 100 S. First St., Room 106. The downtown Minneapolis post office has free parking in a lot adjacent to the building, something that many visitors don’t realize, Nowacki said.
