Post office officials look for new Harbeson site

The Harbeson Post Office will shut its doors at the end of the year.

After Saturday, Dec. 29, Harbeson Post Office customers and 200 post office box holders will travel to the Georgetown Post Office for service.

David Wolff, United States Postal Service real estate specialist, said the change should be temporary as postal officials continue to seek a new site.

The small commercial center where the post office has long been located has been sold, and a Royal Farms will be built. Wolff said Royal Farms officials were not interested in a post office inside the convenience store.

During a crowded Nov. 14 meeting at Harbeson community hall, Wolff said another 30 days must pass to allow time for a selection committee to make a final determination on a site.

He said by mid-December, a report will be released to Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson outlining the selected site or other options. It will also be posted at the Georgetown Post Office and released to the media.

Wolff said three sites are under consideration – two on the south side of Route 9 and another on the north side. All three sites are close to the existing post office at the intersection of Route 9 and Harbeson Road.

One site, at the existing M&D Bird World, has commercial space available that could be renovated to meet the needs of the post office. The other two sites would probably require moving a double-wide modular structure to the site, Wolff said.

Wolff said he would ask for a five-year lease with an option for another five years.

When asked if the project could take as long as two years, Wolff answered with an emphatic, “No. It better not be even one year. I'd love to see this happen in six months.”

Even so, he said, it's not possible to put a timeline on when a new post office would open. “A deal is not a deal until it's signed,” he said. “It depends on whether the landlord wants to have us. We are here for you to open a post office when all the stars align.”

Wolff heard a message loud and clear that Harbeson-area residents want a new post office in operation as soon as possible.

“I hope for six months, but I can't make a guarantee,” Wolff said. “We'll get it done as soon as we can. This won't be as terrible as everyone thinks.”

Wolff said the property owner wanted the post office out of the building in November. “We told them there was no way we could be out during our busiest season,” he said.

There has been a post office in Harbeson since the 1920s, said Bob Lawson, president of the Harbeson Improvement Association.

Until mid-December, the postal service will seek information for other sites. Criteria include: preferable location in 19951 ZIP code; half-acre of land; parking area for 10 vehicles; and room for a dock or other provision for truck loading and unloading.

Wolff can be contacted at david.m.wolff@usps.gov or at United States Postal Service, PO Box 27497, Greensboro, NC 27498-1103.