| WHAT: | A ribbon cutting celebration for the Ellenburg Village Post Office at LaBarre’s Deli and Convenience Store, joining the ranks of more than 700 VPOs around the nation. | |
| WHERE: | 5581 State Route 11, Ellenburg Depot, NY 12935-2399 | |
| WHEN: | Thursday, August 21 11 a.m. | |
| WHO: | Postal officials attending Thursday’s ribbon cutting include the acting District Manager for the Albany District of the Postal Service, Michael Rakes, the manager of Post Office Operations in the High Peaks region, Carol Capone, and Mooers Postmaster Julie Lancto. | |
| BACKGROUND: | The Postal Service announced the concept of the Village Post Office in July 2011 as a way to continue providing convenient access to postal products and services in more rural communities across the nation. Today, the partnership with LaBarre’s in Ellenburg is one of more than 700 VPO locations that operate in a variety of settings, including convenience stores, local businesses and libraries. |
VPOs are operated by the management of those locations, while delivery of the mail is handled solely by postal employees in locations like Ellenburg where mail is delivered. Not all VPOs provide delivery.
By design, a VPO offers the services most used by postal customers: booklets of Forever stamps sold at face value and Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and envelopes. A VPO can accept postage-paid packages for mailing.
The blue collection box outside LaBarre’s Deli and Convenience Store is collected solely by postal employees.
The VPO provides a secure, convenient pick-up point for the community’s mail. Keys to locked post office boxes were provided to area residents earlier this month. The use of the VPO did not require local resident to change their address or ZIP Code, according to postal officials.
Hours of operation of the Ellenburg VPO at LaBarre’s Deli and Convenience Store are Monday to Thursday 7 AM to 8 PM, Friday to Saturday 7 AM to 9 PM and Sunday 8 AM to 6 PM. This includes convenient weekend hours and some holiday service that would not be available at local post offices.
The closest VPOs to Clinton County include Keene Valley NY and Ripton VT.
The Postal Service will consider opening a Village Post Office in locations where there is no Post Office or that has one with reduced operating hours, and where an alternate access site will benefit the community and the Postal Service
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