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HURDLAND, MO. -- A year ago rural post offices were told they would be discontinued.

And now, a new plan will allow them to stay open, but it will no longer be for regular business hours.

Members of the Hurdland community came out to discuss the Hurdland Post Office changing its hours.

Manager of Post Office Operation Area 6 Cindy Bolles said the postal office started a strategy back in may of 2012 that would keep the nation’s smallest post offices open for business.

“This plan provides for a framework to achieve significant cost savings for the organization, but also (provides) a reasonable solution for local communities,” Bolles said.
“The plan keeps existing post offices in place, but will modify business hours.”

221 customer surveys were sent out asking if they wanted the post office to modify business hours, close the post office and have curbside delivery or close the post office and move to a neighboring location.

84 percent of those surveyed said they wanted to keep the office open and operate for four business hours.
Many voiced their concerns about only being open for four hours when they do business and have to send and receive mail at different times of the day.

Everyone at the meeting voted to have the post office open during morning hours.

So, if someone needs to send mail after that the blue collection box will still collect mail at 4 p.m.

Access to the post office boxes will remain unchanged and the town zip code and community identity will not change.

Many at the meeting just wanted to know how they could keep the post office running.

Bolles said doing business at the post office and not online will help out.

“What you do across the front counter ...what you buy across the front counter is the revenue,” Bolles said.

When the time comes to change the hours Bolles said the community will be notified at least 30 days prior with a notice in the post office lobby.

Bolles said any changes that will be made will not happen until after January 12 of next year.