By Stephanie Bunker
Moapa Valley Progress
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has changes in mind that will affect the Post Office in Moapa. This facility is one of 37 other post offices in the state of Nevada being affected by the POST Plan being enacted by the USPS. This plan would involve reducing the number of hours the rural office is open. According to USPS officials, the plan is being enacted in an effort to tighten budgets and save money.
Currently Moapa’s office is open eight hours a day. With the plan, the operation of the facility could possibly be reduced to 6 hours per day. Other rural offices in the state have already gone through the process including the facility at Bunkerville.
On January 11 the USPS sent out a survey to the roughly 600 box holders in Moapa to get feedback on a number of possible options for the facility.
The first is the preferred choice, and would be put in place unless there is an overwhelming majority; over 60%; advocating for another option. That first option is to keep the Moapa facility open but reduce its hours to 6 per day instead of 8.
The second option would be to provide roadside mailbox delivery. According to Officer In Command (OIC) Ann Schreiber, this option would put the entire town of the Indian Reservation’s boxes on the side of the highway right at the turn off to the reservation on highway 168.
The third option stated in the survey would be “to find a suitable alternative location operated by a contractor, usually at a local business.”
The last option given in the survey would be to simply relocate the P.O. Box delivery to a nearby Post Office; which in this case would be the Logandale facility.
Unless the result of the survey varies from the preferred first option, reducing the hours at the Moapa facility will go into effect.
In addition to reduced hours, the plan may also bring changes to the local post office staffing. Moapa residents and postal workers Ann Schreiber and Natalie Stratton have worked at the Moapa facility for many years. But if the reduced hours goes into effect, the employee’s current position will be discontinued and a new position will be put into place. The two will then need to reapply for the same jobs. Applications from others may be submitted as well. The positions will no longer be full time but could eventually have the option for benefits.
The Moapa Post Office won’t have a Postmaster of its own. Instead, Logandale Postmaster Dee Smith will become the Postmaster covering the Moapa facility.
A Town Hall Meeting will be held on March 7 at 6:00 pm. USPS officials will be in attendance at that meeting to explain the results of the survey and to provide more information on the POST Plan. Moapa residents are encouraged to attend.
