Coleharbor Post Office’s future remains in limbo
By Cheryl Odden, BHG News Service
Mailing a letter has been an easy task in Coleharbor. Just walk up to the service window of the Coleharbor Post Office and drop off the letter. If a stamp is needed, a postal employee can supply the necessary stamp after collecting the appropriate fee. While at the office, patrons can pick up their mail and have access to other postal services. The small-town post office also serves an important non-postal role: it’s a place where neighbors and friends socialize and share tidbits of information. All that could change. About 18 months ago, Coleharbor postal patrons received letters telling them the local post office was being studied for possible closure. Early May, 2011, they were invited to meet with postal officials who explained several possible options. Wanda Cleveland, manager of post office operations, Bismarck, told the patrons, “I think you need to understand it’s just a study.” Postal customers were encouraged to fill out surveys that would become part of a docket and that postal officials in Washington, D.C., would decide the fate of the local office.
