North Webster To Get New Post Office
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
NORTH WEBSTER - Indiana District U.S. Postal Service representatives Tuesday night said perseverance paid off.
More than 150 people who gathered in the North Webster Community Center were told the town will be getting a new post office.
Mike Lamborne, manager of post office operations, and Len Stevens, post office real estate specialist, gave the town the good news.
"This is a good civics lesson," Lamborne said.
"Those 400 letters you wrote made a difference." He jokingly added, "You've all been pains in the butt to me, but you've done a great job,"
North Webster residents flooded the postal service, U.S. Representatives and Senators with letters and photos of the local post office.
The result was a visit by Stevens and a determination the North Webster Post Office is inadequate.
The officials were in North Webster Tuesday night to set the agenda for upgrading the town's postal facilities.
Stevens said the postal service will study three options: expanding at the current location on Washington Street; remodeling an existing building elsewhere; or building a new building elsewhere.
He said Tuesday's meeting was the beginning of a 15-day public comment period during which residents are encouraged to give input on what they think is the best option.
Thirty days after that, the location could be chosen and bids for construction could be advertised.
Some have suggested a new building could be built on Community Center property just south of the center.
North Webster resident Royce Beeson said he thought the existing location is best because it is a block off Ind. 13 and has a stoplight to facilitate access to Ind. 13.
He said building at the Community Center "puts seniors at risk" by forcing them to access Ind. 13 without the benefit of a stoplight.
But another North Webster resident, Jack Boyer, said he liked the Community Center idea. He said the alley east of the site could be turned into a one-way headed south.
Post office traffic could travel to Washington Street from the north and then turn west to Ind. 13 at the stoplight.
Council president Jon Sroufe said those types of comments are just what the postal service is looking for and encouraged residents to submit comments during the next 15 days.
Utilities Superintendent Dennis Reafsnyder told the council about a problem with water leaking into the town's sewer system in an area of Epworth Forest.
The problem has been isolated to approximately 5,000 feet of clay tile that was installed in the 1960s. Old brick manholes also are allowing storm water to leak into the system.
Reafsnyder said more than 927,000 gallons - double the design capacity - flowed through the treatment plant because of the leaks.
Repairs need to be made, he said, to diminish the load on the treatment plant so sewer service can be extended to more homes and businesses.
The council also:
• Heard a report from Greg Church, town marshal. During January, his department logged 623 hours; drove 2,813 miles and used 280 gallons of fuel. The department answered 224 calls.
• Announced park board appointments of Lydia Clark, Deb Long, Billy Lavin and Tim Hine.
• Said a decision will be made next month regarding parking on Washington Street for one block on either side of Ind. 13. Angle parking makes the traveled portion of the street too narrow. Options are changing to parallel parking, which eliminates eight parking spaces, or restricting parking to vehicles under a certain length.
• Approved an expenditure of $1,570 to repair the town's sailboat and star decorative lights. Repair of the Christmas lights was deferred until fall. Midwest Display of Marion will do the work.
• Approved an expenditure of $55,000 for a 1997 reconditioned street sweeper from Brown Equipment, Fort Wayne.
• Approved an expenditure of $5,193 for three new computers.
• Approved an expenditure of $400 plus meals and lodging to send town clerk Betsy Luce to the clerk's training institute at Ball State University March 6-11.
Town council members are Jon Sroufe, Travis March and Jane Shepherd. The council next meets March 15 at 6 p.m. in the community center. [[In-content Ad]]
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NORTH WEBSTER - Indiana District U.S. Postal Service representatives Tuesday night said perseverance paid off.
More than 150 people who gathered in the North Webster Community Center were told the town will be getting a new post office.
Mike Lamborne, manager of post office operations, and Len Stevens, post office real estate specialist, gave the town the good news.
"This is a good civics lesson," Lamborne said.
"Those 400 letters you wrote made a difference." He jokingly added, "You've all been pains in the butt to me, but you've done a great job,"
North Webster residents flooded the postal service, U.S. Representatives and Senators with letters and photos of the local post office.
The result was a visit by Stevens and a determination the North Webster Post Office is inadequate.
The officials were in North Webster Tuesday night to set the agenda for upgrading the town's postal facilities.
Stevens said the postal service will study three options: expanding at the current location on Washington Street; remodeling an existing building elsewhere; or building a new building elsewhere.
He said Tuesday's meeting was the beginning of a 15-day public comment period during which residents are encouraged to give input on what they think is the best option.
Thirty days after that, the location could be chosen and bids for construction could be advertised.
Some have suggested a new building could be built on Community Center property just south of the center.
North Webster resident Royce Beeson said he thought the existing location is best because it is a block off Ind. 13 and has a stoplight to facilitate access to Ind. 13.
He said building at the Community Center "puts seniors at risk" by forcing them to access Ind. 13 without the benefit of a stoplight.
But another North Webster resident, Jack Boyer, said he liked the Community Center idea. He said the alley east of the site could be turned into a one-way headed south.
Post office traffic could travel to Washington Street from the north and then turn west to Ind. 13 at the stoplight.
Council president Jon Sroufe said those types of comments are just what the postal service is looking for and encouraged residents to submit comments during the next 15 days.
Utilities Superintendent Dennis Reafsnyder told the council about a problem with water leaking into the town's sewer system in an area of Epworth Forest.
The problem has been isolated to approximately 5,000 feet of clay tile that was installed in the 1960s. Old brick manholes also are allowing storm water to leak into the system.
Reafsnyder said more than 927,000 gallons - double the design capacity - flowed through the treatment plant because of the leaks.
Repairs need to be made, he said, to diminish the load on the treatment plant so sewer service can be extended to more homes and businesses.
The council also:
• Heard a report from Greg Church, town marshal. During January, his department logged 623 hours; drove 2,813 miles and used 280 gallons of fuel. The department answered 224 calls.
• Announced park board appointments of Lydia Clark, Deb Long, Billy Lavin and Tim Hine.
• Said a decision will be made next month regarding parking on Washington Street for one block on either side of Ind. 13. Angle parking makes the traveled portion of the street too narrow. Options are changing to parallel parking, which eliminates eight parking spaces, or restricting parking to vehicles under a certain length.
• Approved an expenditure of $1,570 to repair the town's sailboat and star decorative lights. Repair of the Christmas lights was deferred until fall. Midwest Display of Marion will do the work.
• Approved an expenditure of $55,000 for a 1997 reconditioned street sweeper from Brown Equipment, Fort Wayne.
• Approved an expenditure of $5,193 for three new computers.
• Approved an expenditure of $400 plus meals and lodging to send town clerk Betsy Luce to the clerk's training institute at Ball State University March 6-11.
Town council members are Jon Sroufe, Travis March and Jane Shepherd. The council next meets March 15 at 6 p.m. in the community center. [[In-content Ad]]