When the West Paris Post Office abruptly closed in May 2021, residents were told the shutdown was temporary. More than four years later, the town is still waiting — despite repeated promises and shifting timelines from the U. S. Postal Service.

Again, the USPS has offered a general timeline for reopening, without concrete plans.

“I know that the new location is at 141 Bethel Road and they’re shooting to open after the first of the year,” Steve Doherty of USPS Corporate Communications, said late last month.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden has been pressing the federal agency for answers. In 2024 he warned, “It has now been three years since the USPS closed the facility, requiring residents of West Paris and neighboring communities to travel an additional seven miles to the next closest USPS facility.”

When little changed, he followed up again in February 2025, telling then–Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, “I sincerely hope that the town of West Paris can celebrate the reopening of its post office before we recognize the fourth anniversary of its closure. … The town’s residents and those in the surrounding communities deserve timely and efficient service from the United States Postal Service.”

Meanwhile, the USPS continued to revise its plans. In July 2023, officials insisted the West Paris branch would be “fully operational” by the following May. That deadline came and went. By July 2024, Town Manager Joy Downing said the USPS was still trying to find a contractor from its list of approved federal companies — years after the building at 238 Main St. had closed because its lease wasn’t renewed.

In a 2024 letter, USPS Vice President of Facilities Ben Kuo said the agency was leasing space in the building shared with the West Paris Water District and several apartments, saying the plan was to establish operations for the “long term.”

“The new facility will allow the Postal Service to maintain and improve our service to the community,” the letter said — assurances that arrived only after Golden demanded answers yet again.

Last month, residents could finally see signs of progress at the building at 175 Main St. A new West Paris Post Office was under construction in the leased front of the former Ledgeview Living Center on Nov. 18. Signs were up; work was visible through the front window. But even then, the USPS representative would not commit to specifics.

“I don’t have any other details to share at this time,” Doherty said.

Toby Whitman, 54, a 40-year West Paris resident, said, “it’s a very sad situation. We’ve got a town full of older people. It’s a staple to any town … It’s been a terrible injustice for the town not to have a post office.”

Regarding the post office lease at the former nursing home, Whitman said, “We could be in the same situation inside of another few years.”

The years of delays and shifting timelines spurred Golden to introduce the Protecting Postal Performance Act this past March. The bill would block USPS from “downsizing facilities in underserved areas, provide more oversight over modifications to delivery schedules, and increase public transparency on proposed changes.” If passed, it would require a public hearing, a public summary, and a 180-day delay before any closure or consolidation.

Golden has since announced he is stepping down from Congress, citing among other things, his family’s safety in the wake of threats.