Vaucluse Residents Upset their Post Office Is Closing

Vaucluse Residents Upset their Post Office Is Closing (Added: December 06, 2011)

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is closing a local post office that only costs $10 a month to rent. The Vaucluse Post Office will close its doors at the end of the month...as the USPS cuts back...and r (more)

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Vaucluse Residents Upset Their Post Office Is Closing

Credit: Kait Rayner

By: Kait Rayner | WJBF News Channel 6
Published: December 06, 2011

Vaucluse, SC --

At first glance, it doesn’t look like much has changed in the small town of Vaucluse. But, look again...and you’ll notice there’s something new lining the streets here...mailboxes.

"When did you put your mailbox up?" We asked Vaucluse resident Martha Spears. "Last week," she told us.

Vaucluse residents will need a mailbox to get their mail because a sign is up...the little Vaucluse Post Office will close for good at the end of the month.

"They have the option, they can either get street delievery, or they can go to another post office, Aiken or Graniteville and open a box there. If they choose street delivery, they need to put in a change of address and an Aiken carrier will do street delivery," said U.S. Postal Service employee Rick Heise.

Vaucluse resident Maryann Zeliznak has been picking up her mail here and says the closure is a headache. She says USPS first told here they would close the Vaucluse office on December 3rd, so she changed her address.

Now, residents are being told the office will stay open until the end of december, and the zip code will change to an Aiken zip code.

"Be a postal service, not a postal slacker! Because this just really stinks to do it to a community, twice. Not once, but twice!" said Zeliznak. She says the adjustment is a pain, but it’s mail delivery from Aiken...miles away from the town of Vaucluse...hat irks her most most. She says closing the Vaucluse Post Office is a mistake. "You don’t make people a statistic, you evaluate each post office individually. Obviously, they never took it into account that the rent here is only 10 dollars a month. They would rather pay hundreds of dollars in gasoline. Unbelievable, it’s unbelievable," she said.

For now, Vaucluse residents put up their mailboxes and bear the change...but they continute to question the postal service...if in fact...this closure will save them money.

We tried to contact the U.S. Postal Service for comment...but were unsuccessful. Some residents says they’re also concerned the zip code change will impact emergency response. Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt says Aiken County dispatchers are aware of the change...and says they’re trained to ask the right questions to find the correct location.