Truckee weighs in on post office options

Downtown site still an option

By Greyson Howard
Sierra Sun, ghoward@sierrasun.com
May 5, 2008

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With five options on the table for a post office expansion, the Town of Truckee is still pushing to keep mail service downtown.

In February the U.S. Postal Service said they intended to move both the downtown office and the Deerfield Drive office to a new, bigger location to keep up with the growing needs of Truckee. After advertising for buildings or land, the Postal Service got eight proposals, which then dropped to five options.

“I think the current site is a very good site, and if we could find a workaround so it could fit and it could function, that would be the way to go,” said Richard Anderson, town council member.

Despite a statement early in the Postal Service’s process that they could not stay at the current location, they included it in the list of potential sites when the property owner offered to work with them, said Town Manager Tony Lashbrook.

But even if neighboring properties were added, the downtown site wouldn’t meet the Postal Service’s 3-acre lot, 20,000-square foot building requirements, Lashbrook said.

Siobhan Smart, an adjacent property owner, said she had offered room for the current location to expand.

While the Postal Service indicated that having two separate sites — one for distribution and sorting and the other for customer service and post office boxes, is not desired, Council Member Josh Susman said he wanted more thought put into that layout.

In the end, Truckee’s town council decided to give their preference to the Postal Service, suggesting the post office stay downtown, and offering to help, however possible.

“We would potentially be a partner to bridge any financial gap to maintain a core location,” Lashbrook said, reiterating the wishes of the council.

That partnering could be through Truckee Redevelopment Agency Funding or in finding additional parking, Lashbrook said.

The Postal Service is working under a deadline, with funding restrictions that require a site selected and purchasing underway by September, Lashbrook said.

“Site selection might start as soon as next week,” Lashbrook said.