April 27 was busy for a Monday morning in Holmes Beach City Hall.
“When you screw with someone’s post office, you’ve got real issues. It’s a sense of identity. I think that’s why people are so passionate,” said U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan R-Longboat Key.
Buchanan held a town meeting at the request of Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson and Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who reached out after learning of U.S. Postal Service plans to draft a new contract and discontinue P.O. box services at the Holmes Beach office, 5354 Gulf Drive.
Current contract owners Peggy Meyers and Jack Jackson have operated the contract office for 20 years and recently notified the Postal Service that they intend to retire.
That’s when the service performed a review of the office and viable services, said Carol Shirley, manager of retail services for the Suncoast District of USPS.
Shirley said the service could have denied another contract. She said she made a “strong case” that a contract office is needed and her higher-ups approved the request. She later learned, however, box services were not approved.
Shirley said a postcard survey sent to residents was a determining factor of the community’s needs; the crowd quickly confirmed the surveys did not go to P.O. box renters — only to those with home delivery.
Only one response to the survey was received, Shirley said.
Other contributing factors to the decision were the proximity to the Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach offices and the availability of home delivery.
“At this point, we have on our plate notice of retirement. We don’t have an actual vendor approved…. It will be totally a new business,” Shirley said.
She added that the new business would be more automated with a point-of-sale system that can print receipts and tracking numbers and accept debit and credit cards.
“We want to give whoever takes the new business, we want to give them the opportunity to make it a successful business,” Shirley said.
She listed available options to replace the boxes:
• The boxes could be relocated to either Anna Maria or Bradenton Beach’s post offices.
• Home delivery.
• Locked street delivery boxes in neighborhoods.
Many residents balked at the idea of relocating the boxes to a neighboring city, with one person calling out: “Have you ever tried to park in Bradenton Beach or Anna Maria?”
Holmes Beach Commissioner Jean Peelen and Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer chimed in, saying the roads can’t take more traffic during high tourist season.
“The traffic problem is not anecdotal. We’d be impacting an already paralyzing traffic system,” said resident Tom O’Brien. “We’ve got a serious problem. Congressman, you really are our hope in this situation.”
Holmes Beach Commissioner Carol Soustek said another factor is the loss of community already felt in the city. P.O. boxes help make the community, she said.
“I think a lot of people just want to know if this is a done deal or if this is just smoke in mirrors for you to come explain it to us?” asked resident Hank Niehilla.
Shirley said it was not a done deal because the service doesn’t yet have a new vendor.
Buchanan asked for names of the decision makers, and said he would speak with them.