Kyburz post office threatened with closure, cuts to service

A sign on the Kyburz Lodge reads "Welcome to Kyburz. Now leaving Kyburz," a reference to the blink-and-you-miss-it community along Highway 50 halfway between the South Shore and Placerville.
But the mountain hamlet is actually home to 110 people and the community is fighting to save its 150-year-old post office, located in the lodge.
Forty seven people showed up at a meeting with postal officials in late November, many to protest a possible plan to close the post office and move mail delivery for its residents to Strawberry, ten miles away, forcing those in Kyburz to drive 20 miles round trip on often dangerous mountain roads to receive their mail

Another proposal is to deliver mail at cluster boxes throughout the community, which would deprive residents of the ability to readily purchase stamps or to receive or mail large packages. A third option is to keep the post office open, but provide counter service only two days a week.
Recently, the post office did start keeping the lobby open 24/7, not just during business hours, so people can get their mail anytime.
The U.S. postal service is under pressure to cut $20 billion from its budget due to declining revenues, according to regional public information officer Ralph Petty. The post office receives no tax money and is totally self-sufficient, he said. With more and more people doing business over the Internet, postal business has fallen dramatically over the last several years, Petty said.
Cost cutting options include discontinuing Saturday mail delivery, consolidating post offices within two or three miles of each other and closing unprofitable post offices, said Petty. The Kyburz post office costs $65,000 a year to operate and only generates $13,000 a year in revenue.
The ultimate determination regarding operations of the U.S. Postal Service may be decided by the U.S. Congress. Seven bills are under consideration, including prohibiting the closure of any current post offices. "There is more discussion about the postal service then there's ever been before," said Petty.
But the Kyburz post office is more than just a place to send a birthday card to your favorite aunt or receive a care package from Mom. It is a community hub, say many residents. During storms and forest fires, the post office has provided a place to exchange news and information as well as alert members of the community to the needs of others in the area, said Monte Mola in a letter to the editor in Placerville's Mountain Democrat. When mail piles up in a recipient's mailbox, a postal worker will go and check on the person, in some cases discovering someone in critical need of assistance of some sort.
The final decision regarding the operations of the Kyburz post office will be made in March or April, Petty said. All options are on the table, the postal service will be considering resident input and the outcome is not preordained, he said.