Talks aim to reopen Liberty postal station

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

A township official is optimistic that a pending deal will come to fruition.

LIBERTY — A township trustee says a businessman is interested in bringing mail services back to the township by operating a contract station for postal services.

It would be in the same Government Center location as the previous township-operated contract station.

Trustee Jodi Stoyak said she has been discussing the matter of operating the post office with a local businessman. She would not name the interested party but said she is confident the plan will come to fruition.

“I have talked to him, and he is definitely interested,” she said. “He is talking to the appropriate authorities at the post office. I am cautiously optimistic that this will happen.”

Stoyak said the businessman, if successful, would hire his own employees and maintain a contract with the post office separate from the township.

“The only thing we would offer is the space, which is ideal for his needs,” she said.

Stoyak said she is unsure whether there would be a rental fee for the space in the government center but said any fee would likely be nominal.

The three township trustees would have to agree on use of the space and the price, once the details have been worked out.

Township Administrator Pat Ungaro said the same businessman does have other contracts with the postal service. He said all services provided before would be provided again but under a different setup.

“He is looking to put a lot of the services back that were there before, but it would be for profit. It’s a possibility, but a little different concept,” he said.

Trustees have received numerous complaints from residents since the closing of the township’s postal services.

The township offered postal services in the government center for more than 30 years before the service was terminated late last year. Post office boxes, however, remain at Government Center.

The postal services offered here were not operated directly by the United States Postal Service. The township, via a contract with the post office, operated the site, buying all material and hiring all staff, then selling stamps and other items to the public.

Trustees passed a resolution in December terminating the contract with the post office to provide the service. The closing came on the heels of an internal audit conducted by the post office that showed more than $19,000 missing from the township office over the course of a year. The investigation by township police continues.

Stoyak said the township received about $10,000 from insurance funds to cover the loss but had to make up the difference out of the general fund.

The township was paid a 7 percent commission from the post office for all items sold. The commission, however, did not cover the township’s total costs. The township reportedly spent $200,000 out of the general fund over a six-year period to operate the post office.

Township officials have talked with other private contractors about bringing the postal services back since the station’s closing. Stoyak said those plans fell through in one case because the township’s available space was not big enough for the private party’s needs.

Stoyak said the township is looking to again provide the services to residents and is willing to work with the current interested party to make that happen.

“I am sure the board would be willing to bend over backward, so to speak, to work with him and get something back in our Government Center,” she said.

jgoodwin@vindy.com