PARIS — When Paris resident Paul Thornfeldt went to the post office last week to check his postal box, something caused him to do a double-take.

“There’s a piece of paper on the bulletin board that says that they’re closing the location,” said Thornfeldt. “It’s just a tiny notice that they put up on December 24. If you didn’t happen to notice it, you would never know.”

Tom Rizzo, a spokesperson for the United States Postal Service, confirmed that the location, on 39 Tremont Street, is indeed on a list of branches that are being considered for closure.

Interested citizens can weigh in at a public meeting on January 19, which will be held to gather public input on the proposed closure. The period for public comments ends in mid-February.

The branch is one of 34 rural post offices across the state of Maine that have been slated for closure. In early December, the Stoneham post office became one of four branches removed from the list, but the Paris Hill location didn’t make the cut.

Nationwide, 3,700 post offices are being closed as the USPS attempts to save money and streamline its processes.

Thornfeldt said that he understands that the postal service needs to streamline, but he feels more could be done to prevent the potential closure from impacting consumers.

“We understand that the post office doesn’t make money and they’re hurting,” he said, “but some of the people, they feel, ‘help us out downtown.'”

Thornfeldt is referring to the next-closest branch, located at 13 Park Street. He said that the hours at that branch could be changed to better-accommodate customers.

The branch on Tremont opens at 8 a.m., Monday through Saturday, while the Park Street location opens at 8:30 a.m.

The Tremont location closes for lunch from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., while the Park Street branch closes from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“The Paris one [on Park Street] is closed at noon,” said Thornfeldt. “That’s most people’s lunch hours. They should also stay open a little earlier.”

Thornfeldt said that the bulletin board posting was the only notice given to consumers, but Rizzo said that those with rented post office boxes also received notices.

In all, the post office maintains about 420 retail offices in Maine, according to Rizzo.

Advertiser Democrat: This story has been edited on January 4 to establish that mid-February date is the deadline for public comment, and to add the public meeting date. The error resulted from a miscommunication between the reporter and a USPS representative.

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