Spreckels community raises issues around its post office, prompts state response
SPRECKELS, Calif. (KION) - A change in hours at the Spreckels post office has caused frustration among residents in Spreckels. And now, the state has taken action to restore the post office hours.
On November 27, U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta's office announced the Spreckels Post Office will return to its original hours of operation, with retail services from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and maintaining weekend access for P.O. box customers effective December 2.
“When the USPS suddenly changed the operating hours for the post office in Spreckels, it severely impacted the lives of the residents who rely on that postal service as a pillar of their community,” said Rep. Panetta. “I commend the residents of Spreckels for organizing, speaking up, and contacting me about their post office’s reduced hours and its detrimental effects on their daily routines.
The hours were running from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and if people couldn't make it during that 5-hour window, they were out of luck. As a result, residents called on federal leaders to help pull back the hours the post office once had.
"All of a sudden, there was a notice on the door and that was it. No town meeting, anything like that. This sign on the front door of the post office is how USPS delivered the news to local residents that their post office will start closing earlier than normal," said Jim Riley, who lives in Spreckels.
The post office is a vital hub in the Spreckels community, so reinstating the post office hours ahead of a busy holiday season seems pertinent.
"I just got my property tax bill notice. It says, 'Please use your post office box number.' This is the Monterey County government sending me a property tax bill in Spreckels," said Riley. "They should know that Spreckels in 120-something years has never, ever had home mail delivery."
That's right — other neighboring towns in Monterey like Carmel-by-the-Sea and Big Sur, don't have home mail delivery and rely on their local postal office for mail.
"It's horrible to make all these people pick up their packages somewhere else. For me not to be able to come and get my mail or buy my stamps," said Sue, who lives in Spreckels.
People tell KION they have bills to pay, checks to pick up and for some, critical medication they receive from the post office. And this time change will make it difficult for them to receive all that.
"One big concern is being a town with a lot of elderly people in it. A lot of people get their meds by mail. And that causes a big problem. And meds have to be taken and received regularly," said Riley.
KION emailed USPS as to why they changed the hours and if the new schedule will be temporary.
In an email, they simply said their reason was to, "accommodate for early pick-up by residents." They sent a link with a line saying the hours were permanent.
Before his office announced the reinstatement of the Spreckels Post Office, Congressman Jimmy Panetta said that he heard the concerns of his constituents:
"I went into the post office and met with the postal worker that's in there right now to gather more information and to get the evidence so that I can then make an accurate assessment as to what the potential solutions will be going forward. We have some more work to do when it comes to speaking to more constituents, but also speaking to the postmaster and the postmaster supervisor so that we can come to an appropriate solution," said Jimmy Panetta, a U.S. representative.
Now, Rep. Panetta's office is ensuring the USPS will restore their original hours and may be considering the installation of a new flagpole as well as improved accessibility to mail services.
"There's changes to the post office and it's one of those things we have to adapt to," said Rick Gutierrez, who also lives in Spreckels.
