OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. (WHNT) — Wet mail, not enough parking, and packages being sorted in the parking lot are just some of the frustrations expressed by residents regarding the Owens Cross Roads Post Office.
Since February of 2024, News 19 has heard from people who would like to see a new Post Office built that can better accommodate growth in the community.
Now, residents might finally get what they’ve been asking for.
The City of Owens Cross Roads posted on its Facebook late last week, saying, “We have some good news to share regarding the Owens Cross Roads Post Office.”
“The City Hall administrative offices have been informed that the U.S. Postal Service has entered into negotiations with a local landowner to purchase property for a new facility,” the City said via the Facebook post.
City officials say at this time, that’s all the information they have. While information is limited, it’s got residents talking.
“It’s a hot topic online, especially for the Hampton Cove area,” Cookie Sanders said.
Sanders and her family moved into their Owens Cross Roads home about three years ago. She told News 19 the state of the Post Office has been a concern ever since.
“They need a bigger post office, they need a bigger parking lot, they need a facility where people are covered,” Sanders said.
Sanders told News 19 that all of the postal workers she has interacted with at the Owens Cross Roads location are “lovely, hard-working people.”
She said her main concern is that workers have to sort mail and packages in the parking lot, exposed to the elements, year-round.
“They’re just out there in the cold, in the wintertime, they’re out there in the rain”, she said. “It’s just not good working conditions for these people.”
The U.S. Postal Service has previously acknowledged issues with space at the current Post Office off Highway 431. Last winter, it installed a tent in the parking lot to help shield workers from rain and wind, as they sorted mail and packages outdoors.
Sanders said she isn’t one to make a fuss, but said she wants to see bigger change for workers and the community.
“You have to make a little bit of noise,” she said. “I’m generally not that kind of a person, but I really like the people that work there, and I don’t want to see them working in the cold.”
Sanders told News 19 that she’s glad to hear that the U.S. Postal Service is working on a new facility. However, she hopes it comes sooner, rather than later.
“This is the only post office in the area, so a lot of people have been affected by it,” she said.
News 19 will keep you updated when we learn more details about the potential new Post Office location.
The post A new post office may finally be coming to Owens Cross Roads appeared first on WHNT.
