Steptoe Post Office could be closed

Steptoe may soon lose its post office; the town is on the United States Postal Service’s short list for closure.

The postal service sent out questionnaires to the 47 residents of Steptoe who receive their mail at the post office boxes in Cooper’s Corner, an antique store just off the junction of state Highways 23 and 195.

“It’s a very small office, and it doesn’t have a postmaster right now,” said Ernie Swanson, communications director for the post office’s Seattle district.

Swanson said Steptoe is one of several towns in the area on the list for closure. Post offices in Latah, Viola and Waverly are also on the chopping block. Washtucna’s post office has been closed for over a year and could also be officially shut down he said.

The postal service will hold a public meeting on future options for Steptoe June 29, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Steptoe fire station.

A meeting on the Latah post office closure is set for June 16 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Latah Country Bible Church.

“Nationwide, we’re looking at something like 2,000 post offices for possible closure,” said Swanson.

The closures come as the post office looks to offset lost revenue caused by falling volumes of mail service over the past decade plus, he said.

Last year, the postal service lost about $8.5 billion. Swanson said the agency is projected to lose $7 billion to $8 billion by the end of this fiscal year in September.

“We try as hard as we can to provide all levels of service,” said Swanson. “But our revenues are coming nowhere near close to what we need to operate.”

Possible Steptoe options are contracting the post office to a private operator, replacing it with a cluster of locking post office boxes or having mail delivered to homes.

“It is unfortunate that we have to close offices in these small towns,” said Swanson. “Sometimes, rural customers rely on the mail for more things than maybe they do in an urban area.”

In Washtucna, where the post office was closed because the building was deemed unsafe, residents now have to drive to Hooper to pick up their mail.

Swanson said more towns could lose post offices in the future as the postal service tries to balance its budget.

“It’s definitely possible we could have more of these coming,” he said. “Particularly if the postal service continues to lose money.”