HANOVER – It’s taken a while, but soon this town’s 250 residents will have a new post office.

Christine Dugas, spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service, said Friday that work is set to begin on the 1,000-square-foot building this week.

The concrete pad, lined parking area, landscaping and electricity have been in place on this half-acre lot just east of the village for more than a year. Then, a facility freeze was clamped onto the postal service because of budgetary problems so no new post offices could be built, Dugas said.

The Hanover Post Office will be one of only two approved for construction this year in the state, she said. The other is in the Piscataquis County town of Abbot.

“The Hanover Post Office met the criteria for safety concerns related to a space deficiency at the current location,” she said.

Right now, people pick up their mail at Gordie Howe’s, a general store a short distance west of the new site.

Town Clerk Clem Worcester said it’s about time the postal service built the new office.

“They’ve been promising it for at least five years,” he said.

The new modular building will have more post office boxes as well as parcel lockers. Dugas said the project should be completed by mid- to late-summer. The number of employees and open hours will not change.

The postal service will own the building, but lease the lot in a 20-year agreement.

The contractor is Brian Wilcox Construction of Bradley.
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