Here's what we know about future of downtown Topeka post office after construction dispute

The owner of the historic downtown post office building says work being done at the site is minor and should have had no impact on U.S. Postal Service operations.

The post office stopped its services Saturday afternoon at the downtown site, 424 S. Kansas Ave., giving short notice to customers while saying remodeling forced the closure.

A letter posted at the building said the post office was exposed to slip, trip and fall hazards; electrical work; falling paint; overhead work; non-access to restrooms; electrical hazards and more.

Ken Schmanke, who purchased the building from the U.S. Postal Service on Aug. 25, said the work being done in the building should have had little to no impact on the post office's ability to serve its customers.

"We are in the middle of a couple of different remodeling projects," Schmanke told The Topeka Capital-Journal. "These projects will go on for the next several months. We will have additional projects for the foreseeable future — many years."

Schmanke questioned whether postmaster Harry J. Plante was referring to internal work, although Plante's letter cited work by the landlord.

"Perhaps the USPS is referring to remodeling of their own space, which I believe they are getting ready to begin," Schmanke said. "However, that is just my speculation."

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Customers at downtown post office complain about lack of notice

Customers who maintain a P.O. box received a letter on their boxes Saturday, three hours before the post office closed, said Joseph Chontos.

"It was very sudden," Chontos said. "There was no warning. We were led to believe it would continue business as usual. Suddenly, we find out like a bolt out of the blue that they're closed."

Chontos has been a customer of USPS for 20 years and said he wasn't asked to turn in his keys. He said he thinks they would be useless to use now.

Chontos said construction appeared to be slight.

"The only thing I really noticed was that they were working on the lights and the ceilings and they were removing things," he said. "So it was dim, darker than usual, but you could see. They didn't have things blocking your pathway to and from the boxes or to the doors. It was all off to the side.

"I didn't see any problems that would've prevented us from getting to the boxes."

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What's next for downtown Topeka post office? Will it close permanently?

While the downtown post office is closed, its PO boxes will be located at the S&DC site at 1410 N.W. Gage Blvd., the post office letter said.

"I realize with change there is always concern," said Topeka postmaster Plante in the letter.

The letter said the change is tentative and no final decision to permanently close the downtown location has been made. It went on to say a meeting will occur in coming weeks to explain Postal Service plans and gather community feedback about alternate means of services.

The Capital-Journal wasn't able to reach Plante with further questions.

Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Owner of Topeka's downtown post office site disputes reason for move