CB Post Office reinforcements arrive in town

Playing catch-up with five extra sets of hands

by Mark Reaman

The calvary arrived in Crested Butte and there was noticeable excitement from area residents about seeing the help. Several United States Postal Service (USPS) workers from the Front Range got to Crested Butte Sunday evening and lent their helping hands first thing Monday to start digging out of the package pile mess that had been building up inside the Elk Avenue location for about two weeks.

The last full-time Crested Butte postmaster left for another post earlier this summer, but before leaving, he apparently cancelled the package delivery service that had been in place about two years in order to save money and look good to his bosses. However, the service had taken a huge burden off the employees at the Elk Avenue office and when the service was cancelled, mayhem broke out as people had to return to the days of old when they lined up to receive their packages at the counter after seeing a yellow slip in their PO box. Some people last week waited in line for more than two hours. The clerks were waist deep in piles of packages, and to add insult to injury, a sewer backup at the end of the week forced the location to close.

Residents called and emailed their elected representatives and anyone they knew associated with the regional USPS system. While those in Denver were told and relayed publicly that the service was no longer needed, the avalanche of complaints generated a cursory investigation that didn’t take long to unearth a problem.

“We did send a team to assist staff in Crested Butte to help resolve some of the issues,” explained USPS spokesperson Zachary Laux on Monday. “The extra support has helped reduce wait times while we work on long-term staffing solutions. There are five employees currently helping in Crested Butte, all from Colorado Springs.”

He said the postal employees dispatched to Crested Butte are temporary, but the USPS is aware that there is an issue.

“To resolve these issues and speed up the experience, we have mobilized a team to assist staff at this location temporarily,” added USPS customer relations manager Brenda Baldwin. “The extra support has helped reduce wait time while we work on long-term staffing solutions.”

“We understand customers’ frustration from the long wait times,” Laux said. “Securing housing and transferring personnel amidst the wildfires in Colorado has been a challenge, but we are working as quickly as possible to get help to where it is needed most and maintain essential operations. We sincerely apologize for the recent long wait times and reduced retail hours and want to thank our customers for their continued patience, understanding and support during this time.”

USPS trucks were seen zipping around Crested Butte earlier this week and employees were dropping off packages to individual homes. It was hoped that the facility would be caught up with package delivery by the end of the week.

The Crested Butte News is also still unclear about next steps in securing a permanent package delivery service, a new full-time postmaster and any other potential long-term plans to alleviate issues at the Crested Butte post office.

But hey, the USPS calvary arrived and locals are stoked that things are returning to normal…