PORT TOWNSEND — A new U.S. Postal Service substation has opened in downtown Port Townsend to provide more customer convenience as well as the handicapped accessibility the main post office in the historic Customs House lacks.
“This is great,” said Lisa Lanza of Port Townsend, a customer.
“The main post office always has long lines, so coming here is a lot easier.”
The new substation, located in the Purple Heron, 1117 Water St., is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
It has served about 50 people per day since it opened Aug. 5, said Purple Heron co-owner Christine Lorecki.
“This is an important step for our customers,” said Port Townsend Postmaster Cindy Bryant.
“Not only will disabled customers have easier access, the Purple Heron is open on Saturdays for added convenience.”
Stairs are difficult or impossible for some to climb at the main post office in the Customs House building at 1322 Washington St.
A grand opening ceremony at the substation in the Purple Heron is tentatively planned for Sept. 16.
The retail location previously hosted the postal substation when it was run as Shopgirls, which closed almost a year ago.
When Lorecki and Glenda Meek took over the location in April, they applied to incorporate the postal substation in their shop. Approval came at the end of July.
Lorecki said the main requirement was to make the shop handicapped-accessible, which involved lowering the counter.
The new location can handle most post office functions, but it doesn’t sell money orders or provide post office boxes, Lorecki said.
Several advocacy groups for the handicapped have objected to the lack of access at the Customs House.
The Postal Service has provided drive-up service for disabled customers there.
Funding is being sought to retrofit the building by converting rooms that were formerly used to house safes into an elevator shaft.
The elevator would run through existing vault space situated in the same place on each floor, with access into the building provided through a ramp leading to what is now the sorting facility.
The Customs House won $5,000 for renovations during a grant competition sponsored by American Express.
Port Townsend City Manager David Timmons estimated that installing an elevator will cost about $300,000.
The historic building was constructed in 1893 to house the U.S. Customs office and now serves as the city’s post office.
Lynn Gressley, president of Disability Awareness Starts Here — or DASH — said neither he nor any member of his group had yet visited or evaluated the new facility at the Purple Heron.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
