PARIS — The U.S. Postal Service has yet to determine whether to close post offices at Paris Hill and North Waterford, according to United State Postal Service spokesman Thomas Rizzo.

The Tremont Street office on Paris Hill will remain open at least until May 15, he said. On Jan. 19, representatives from the Postal Service will provide information and answer questions from those customers at the First Baptist Church on Paris Hill Road from 6:30  to 7:30 p.m.

“If it’s not contradicted by additional information that we gather, we will close that office,” he said. 

A comment form is available at the post office. It asks customers what effect they believe the closure would have on their postal services and on the surrounding community.

“We take note of those comments and enter them into the official record for the proposal study,” Rizzo said. He said the report goes to a district office, where the proposal can be terminated, keeping the office open, or passed along to main headquarters for a final determination on whether to close them.

The North Waterford office on Route 35 is at the final determination stage, he said.

The Paris Hill office is one of 34 statewide being considered for closure.

According to the Postal Service, walk-in revenue there has steadily declined in recent years, from $27,646 in 2008 to $22,147 in 2011. Officials estimate the Postal Service will see $737,297 in savings over 10 years if the office closes.

The position of Postmaster Neal LaBrecque would be terminated, although he would have a chance to find an open position at another post office.

LaBrecque has been the postmaster at the Paris Hill office since 1998, he said Thursday. The office has been open since 1980.

In December, Congress delayed the proposed closures of 3,700 post offices nationwide until May 15 while lawmakers review legislation to overhaul the Postal Service.

treaves@sunjournal.com

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