Rural postal carriers will be moved to Langley

The U.S. Postal Service said it would close post office branches across the country on Tuesday, but facilities on South Whidbey seem to have escaped the cuts.

The U.S. Postal Service said it would close post office branches across the country on Tuesday, but facilities on South Whidbey seem to have escaped the cuts.

One big change, however, is that the rural carriers for Freeland and Clinton will work out of the Langley Post Office.

Retail operations in Freeland and Clinton, such as the sale of stamps and shipping packages, will continue. The customer boxes at the branches will also stay in their current locations.

The changes begin Sept. 10.

Some of the carriers are upset, but John Crane, officer in charge at Clinton, said it’s out of their hands.

“They don’t have much say in it,” Crane said.

One postal clerk from Freeland and Clinton will also be relocated to the Langley facility.

In Washington, 39 offices are on the list for closure. U.S. Postal Service officials said that 3,700 retail offices across the country are under review.

The closures, according to officials, are due to declining business and revenues as more people use the Postal Service less.

“Our customer’s habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in a press release.

The Postal Service has also notified the city of Langley that it will no longer allow city workers to use the parking lot across the street from city hall. The lot is also used by employees of the nearby Langley Library.

The notification letter, sent earlier this month, has city officials scratching their heads, however. The city of Langley owns the land where the Langley Post Office and lot are located, and leases the property to the US Postal Service.

The city has been told it needs to cease its use of the lot by Oct. 1.