[Update] USPS Issues 'Final Determination' To Close North Canton Post Office

The United States Postal Service has issued its "Final Determination to close the North Canton Post Office."

"Headquarters concurred that this was a facility that we needed to eliminate in order to meet the goal to reduce costs," postal service spokeswoman Christine Dugas said.

Reduced revenues and the fact that the office averaged 1.5 hours of workload in an 8-hour day were contributing factors in the decision, she said.

The notice was posted in the office Aug. 27 and one of several steps the service must go through when closing an office. The earliest the office would close would be Oct. 29, Dugas said.

Residents have 30 days to appeal the decision by writing to

• Ruth Y. Goldway, Chairman
• Postal Regulatory Commission
• 901 New York Avenue
• Suite 200
• Washington, DC 20268-0001

Letters must be postmarked by Sept. 28.

"We will be appealing it," said Sandi Pernal, owner of the building that houses the post office.

Pernal said her objection is not financial.

She said she could rent the building to someone else but feels the post office is part of the community. The current building has been used since the late 1950s and a post office in North Canton dates back to 1826, she said.

"We just really want to keep it as part of our North Canton name," she said.

Pernal said she will be gathering signatures for a petition the next two Saturday mornings and urges people to send a letter as well.

Parnal said it is also a matter of convenience to many post office box holders.

According to Dugas, boxes for 63 holders would be relocated to the Canton Center Post Office, which is about 3.1 miles away. They will be able to keep their current addresses, she added.

According to the notice, "delivery and retail services may be available from a rural or contract delivery carrier, which could alleviate the need to travel from a post office for service." Those transactions could be conducted even if their was not direct contract with the carrier, according to the notice.

The office's postmaster retired on March 31, 2009, according to the postal service. Absence of a postmaster allows the service to look at closing a facility.

The postal service said closing the facility will save $54,699 a year. The postmaster's salary is included in those figures. No one else will lose their job, according to the notice.

In April the postal service sent a letter to box holders and said the office "may not be warranted." The postal service said there was no "decision in hand" to close but many residents remained skeptical at a meeting later that month. Residents said the office offers convenience as well as a sense of community and history.