The six Rural Carriers and sixteen City Carriers who deliver mail for customers in ZIP Code 29212 out of the Harbison Branch Carrier Station, 5201 Broad River Rd., will report to work at the Dutch Fork Branch, 1120 Briargate Circle on Monday, August 31, 2009. The building will revert to private use as the lease expires.

The move is being made in concert with the Station and Branch Consolidation program, and helps to reduce Postal infrastructure during the recession.

The move will be made with a minimal impact on customer service. No change of ZIP Code or Change of Address is necessary for residents of 29212, as delivery services will remain the same. However, customers who receive a “left notice” slip for accountable mail will need to pick it up at the Dutch Fork Post Office beginning Monday, Aug. 31.

No retail window service or Automated Postal Center was located at Harbison Branch. Only an exterior collection box and interior mail drop were located on the property for customer use. Final pickup of the collection box at 2 p.m.; and the mail drop at 5 p.m., will take place on Friday, August 28. After those final collections, customers are advised to switch to the Dutch Fork Branch collection box or nearby collection boxes located at:

• 3315 Broad River Rd. – at Wide Water Square – 1.9 miles away
• 401 Harbison Blvd. – at Lakeside Apartments – 1.9 miles away

“As we consolidate carrier routes due to more efficient automated mail sortation and less mail volume and revenue brought on by the recession, we have less need for floor space,” said Columbia Postmaster, Jim Antill. “Since we don’t receive tax subsidies, less revenue means less money for operations, so this move helps us reduce our infrastructure to match our resources to the workload.”

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