Harpersfield Protests Reduced Hours for Post Office

By Liz Page

HARPERSFIELD – Saying there isn't enough staff, the United States Postal Service is reducing hours at its Harpersfield site. Members of the Harpersfield Town Board passed a resolution last Wednesday, protesting that reduction.

The Harpersfield Post Office is open from 8am until noon each weekday and 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Saturdays with one postal employee. The USPS has advised postal patrons in Harpersfield that the hours will be further reduced due to lack of personnel.

Board members are saying further reducing the hours will provide very limited hours for people and businesses to get their mail from the P.O..

This in turn will provide limited accessibility to their mail and will inhibit business and potential loss of revenue.

The resolution further requests the USPS to provide personnel to keep it open during the current schedule of hours.

One member of the audience questioned why they don't move personnel from another facility to cover the times as they do in other cases. No one had an answer for that and when asked if the resolution would do any good, Supervisor Driscoll said at least the USPS will know the town is not happy with its decision to further reduce hours.

Driscoll reported she has signed the "I Work" paperwork to get a youth aged 17-21 to help at the transfer station and at the town hall over the summer.

Town Clerk Heidi Stevens has developed a list of trainings and who needs them to be compliant with state mandates by June 30.

In her report on the Stamford Veterans Club, Driscoll said she had met with veterans Bill Nicholson, Ken Cole and Art Sprague to research who owns the building. The Veterans Administration and American Legion can use the building. If they cease use, the building reverts to town ownership. She said the veterans will talk to an attorney to determine how charities can become a 501C3 in order to apply for grants. So for now , the request to remove the town from the deed is off the table.

An old book found in the vault will be donated to the Harpersfield Historical Society. It contains school records from 1817 to 1865.

Highway Superintendent Russell Hatch reported that a number of items had been sold through the auction listing, totaling $14,145. Board members approved the various bids. A few items that did not receive any bids will be discarded as junk.

Driscoll also discussed seal coating the town hall parking lot and town garage. She proposed using the $50,000 provided in the host community agreement from the Bruce Hill solar projects to pay for the work and for the "I Work" summer employees.

They then entered an executive session with attorney Allyson Phillips to receive advice of counsel.