Upstairs in the courthouse in Rico, about 50 Rico residents gathered to hear from representatives of the U.S. Postal Service about a discontinuance study of the Rico Post Office Wednesday night.
To save money, officials explained, 100 post offices are under a discontinuance study in both Colorado and Wyoming.
The postal service is in dire straits, said Marcela Rivera, post office review coordinator.
Rivera said the U.S. Postal Service likely will operate with a $10 billion deficit by the end of this year, and that the post office is largely loosing money because of a decrease in mail volume as more people communicate and pay their bills online.
Rico resident Laurie Adams held up a petition against closing the Rico Post Office signed by nearly 200 people.
I think it is shocking, Adams said. It takes 45 minutes on a good day to get to Dolores.
Rivera assured those attendees at the meeting that the road to Dolores would be treacherous in the winter.
No matter what change we propose, you will always get delivery in Rico, Rivera said.
Residents contended a letter sent to post office box holders stated they would have to go to Dolores to get mail.
We made the decision we are not going to make people go to Telluride or Dolores to get mail, said Walt McBain, manager of post office operations. I promise.
A preliminary decision is expected to be made in the next two to three weeks. Residents then have 60 days to comment on the preliminary decision before a final decision is made.
The postal service is considering three alternatives, Rivera said.
The first is closing the Rico Post Office and installing cluster-type boxes somewhere in the community. The second is converting the post office into one that doesnt have staff and having a carrier service the boxes.
Another option would be something called The Village Post Office in which the post office would partner with a local business for retail services, such as stamps and packing supplies.
Residents worried that if they went to a cluster-box system, someone would have to shovel feet of snow around it in the winter. Others worried that if the office isnt staffed, they would have to drive all the way to Dolores to get oversized packages.
Jill Carver, a Rico artist, said if the post office gets rid of office hours and stops selling shipping supplies, she will go out of business.
I hugely rely on the post office for mailing stuff, insuring things and helping me with large, oversized packages, she said. It would have a direct impact on my business.
Rico attorney Erin Johnson said her business would be impacted as well.
Im a local attorney that couldnt survive without mailing services here, Johnson said. Id have to move elsewhere.
Kathy McJoynt said eliminating the office would eliminate an important part of Rico.
It is a social place, McJoynt said. It is the center of town.
Dolores County Commissioner Doug Stowe also opposed closing the post office.
Rico is different in the fact that they are an incorporated town, Stowe said. They have a town council, mayor, fire department and a school. It seems inconceivable that an incorporated town wouldnt have a post office.
The owner of the building told post office officials they had just signed a five-year lease on the building, and they couldnt back out.
Postal officials also addressed the possibility of reducing delivery days.
We could save $3.5 billion if we go to five days of delivery, McBain said.
Closing the office in Rico would save $92,255, Rivera said.
There are 265 post office boxes in Rico with 192 of them occupied.
