Low turnout at Tallahassee post office town hall, and more questions than answers
Dozens gathered at a post office town hall in Tallahassee this week to voice their concerns, and it seems many left with more worries than answers.
The United States Postal Service held their town hall to allow for the public to speak about their own personal experiences as they continue to collect public comment as part of a review process.
Tallahassee residents have complained for years about poor service, many taking to social media to voice their concerns. Leon County Commissioner Brian Welch even met with U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn, whose congressional district includes Leon County, to get answers.
The town hall comes as USPS is in the process of conducting a facility review for Tallahassee as part of a 10-year plan for mail service, thought that's unrelated to the recent backlash.
Mark Dahlstrom, senior director for processing operations for the Gulf Atlantic division of USPS, shared that no layoffs were expected, meaning there won't be worker shortages that could further delay mail delivery. He also shared that "originating mail and package operations will move to Jacksonville in support of the future of our community."
The same problems again and again, residents say
The future of mail delivery, and whether it will get any better in Tallahassee, was top of mind for the few residents who made it to the town hall.
The first person to speak, who did not share his name, said he's been using the forwarding service the Postal Service provides and paying up to $636 for the service through weekly payments. Somehow he was dropped from the service, and there was no way to contact the post office to get back on: "... Nobody ever answers the phone number."
Karen Bradley, who lives on Fleischmann Road, said "it generally takes a week and a half to two weeks to get a single piece of mail" from those who live only a short distance from her house.
And Spencer Brass, who owns the building housing the post office on West Pensacola Street, said even he can't get ahold of his tenants.
"The air conditioning ... has been broken for over two years. These people have been working in despicable conditions," Brass said. "... As for everyone who is trying to get ahold of (them), you can't as a consumer and we can't as a landlord."
Congressman also trying to help speed up mail delivery in Tallahassee
Dunn spoke with Welch about local delivery problems earlier this year. Nicole Smith, his deputy congressional district director, shared with the audience of nearly 30 people that her office too was getting complaints.
She expected a bigger attendance at the town hall: "Working folks, a lot of them, really ought to be here."
And post office workers Kendall Stoll and Keith Jenkins said they believed their employer was "scared" of negative publicity, saying they knew if they held the town hall in the evening, attendance would have ballooned.
For those unable to attend, they can submit written comments to the Postal Service through an online survey until Nov. 29.
Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on X: @ari_v_otero
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: After years of delivery complaints, post office has few solutions
