THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INDICATE NEGOTIATIONS ARE ONGOING...
LONGPORT – Lamenting the loss of the U.S. Post Office on 27th Avenue, the borough has continued negotiations to ensure residents have access to local postal services.
According to Administrator Patrick Dellane, the U.S. Postal Service has been working on an agrement to open a Post Office in Borough Hall.
Dellane said there is no formal contract or agreement at this time, but the borough is attempting to make it happen.
"Nothing is definite and there is not a time frame for when we will know if it will happen or not," he said Thursday morning.
The tiny Post Office that opened on 27th Avenue in the 1930s shut its doors in July 2023. Residents were notified of the closure with a note posted on the door of the Post Office that instructed them to use the Post Office in nearby Margate.
Efforts were made by the prior administration asking federal representatives to assist in relocating the Post Office to a space in Borough Hall. The building, which operated as a commercial business, has since been torn down and because it is located in a residential zone is awaiting a new buyer who will likely build another McMansion in its place.
Although Longport residents were required to travel a short distance to purchase stamps and envelopes, pick up mail in Post Office boxes, request package delivery, or purchase Money Orders, home delivery of the mail was not affected.
At the Jan. 15 Board of Commissioners reorganization meeting, Dellane announced that the borough was considering an agreement to lease two offices near the back entrance to Borough Hall for $2,500 a month, $500 less than the borough proposed.
The Post Office would renovate the offices and install keyed Post Office boxes in the rear lobby. Items in the display cases will be relocated elsewhere in the building to make room for the metal boxes. The lobby would be accessible 24/7 to allow residents to pick up their mail; however, the door to the municipal complex will be locked after normal business hours.
Commissioner Jim Ulmer said the agreement would also require borough to add several dedicated Post Office parking spaces along 24th Avenue and would share the ADA-accessible parking space in the rear parking lot.
In other business, Mayor Patrick Armstrong said he was pleased that the Longport Library Board would be moving ahead with its plan to renovate the Centennial Room on the second floor of Borough Hall.
The library plans to use the space to conduct special programs, such as cooking classes, concerts, author visits and other special events.
“It looks like it will be beautiful with larger windows and a beautiful kitchen. It is a greatly needed space that will be available for the public,” Armstrong said. “We are very excited to bring the Centennial Room back.”
The Centennial Room has been off limits since a power outage in August 2019 caused mold problems throughout the building.
Additional work will be needed on the elevator that brings visitors to the second floor, officials said.
The projects will go out to bid in the spring and will be funded through library taxes.
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