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AARON SHAROCKMANFrustration over long lines and slow service prompts a meeting with Oldsmar officials.
OLDSMAR - For some Oldsmar residents, going to the city's lone post office might be an unappealing option, but officials say it's not the only one.
Representatives from the U.S. Postal Service met with city leaders Monday to discuss concerns over slow service at the city's post office just north of Tampa Road.
City Postmaster George Lemos said he thought the two-hour meeting was productive. Lemos said his office will continue talks with the Oldsmar/Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce on how to improve service and educate residents to programs already in place.
"People don't understand there are options for them other than standing in a line," Lemos said. "... This was an upbeat, positive first step."
A feud over service had been developing in City Council meetings for the past months. Council members frequently complained about the post office's long lines. Last week the complaining boiled over when the council passed a resolution urging the post office, at 135 N Bayview Blvd., to provide a better response.
Vice Mayor Don Bohr, who represented the council, said he came away from Monday's meeting with a clearer grasp of the services postal employees provide. He said residents need to know their choices when it comes to mail service. For instance, Oldsmar's mail carriers sell stamps. They can also pick up packages.
"Everyone wanted to accomplish the same goal of improved service," Bohr said. " ... It was a very good conversation with everyone participating. Hopefully, things are going to improve."
Another alternative is to go to a contract postal unit, a mini-post office run by a local business. A new postal unit opened this month at a convenience store at 7501 W Hillsborough Ave., east of Oldsmar. It's open until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There's also a similar office east of U.S. 19 in Palm Harbor at 3382 Tampa Road.
Lemos said lines will be longer in any post office this time of year. That's why residents need to be aware of other options if they are in a hurry.
"At Christmas time, any post office has people in their lobby mailing packages that aren't in there the rest of the year," Lemos said.
Still, some residents say problems remain all year. Joe Reilly, who has lived in the city for nearly four years, said he has avoided the post office since last Christmas. If he needs to mail a package, he'll go somewhere else, even if it's out of the way.
"This post office is the worst I have ever seen," Reilly said. " ... Oldsmar is no longer the sleepy little town it once was, but the employees of this unit don't know that, (or) maybe they do and they just don't care."
- Aaron Sharockman can be reached at 727 771-4303 or asharockman@sptimes.com