INDIANAPOLIS, IN — In 1859, the small, quaint town of Silver Lake was born. Located at the southern end of Kosciusko County, Silver Lake has a population of 915 people.
On Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, Silver Lake will make history as the location of the first Village Post Office (VPO) in Indiana to open in a town hall. The 23rd VPO in the Greater Indiana District will officially open at Silver Lake Town Hall, 604 N. Jefferson St., Silver Lake, IN 46982.
Clerk-Treasurer Tonya Conley said Silver Lake Town Hall was delighted to be able to offer the services of a VPO to the community. “We feel that if we didn’t do it, it would be a disservice to the public. The local Post Office now has reduced hours — 8 a.m. to noon, so we wanted to serve the people of Silver Lake better by offering them the opportunity to buy stamps and drop off their mail when the Post Office is closed,” she said.
In fact, Conley said, once they put the grand opening sign in the window, people have already come into the town hall to buy stamps and drop off their mail. “I believe it’s going to be a great success,” she said.
Silver Lake Town Hall is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The new postal center will be officially opened by Manager of Post Office Operations Larry Dauby. Several Postal Service and local officials will be present at the event. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 10 a.m., and an open house will follow from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Last year, the Postal Service introduced the VPO model as an alternate retail location for postal products and services, especially in rural communities.
VPOs are operated by local businesses contracting with the Postal Service, and offer a range of popular postal products and services including stamps and flat-rate packaging.
Following the opening in Silver Lake, a second VPO will open in the Lagro Town Hall at noon. Several more VPO’s are slated to open in the Greater Indiana District in the next few months.
Additional information about the Village Post Office is available at www.uspsvillagepostoffice.com.
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