Chokoloskee
Tomorrow, Wednesday May 8 at 1pm a meeting will be held at the Chokoloskee Family Church of God where the U.S. Postal Service wants to hear your thoughts on the fate of the Chokoloskee Post Office. Some of you may have received a letter from the USPS, explaining the background that brought this upcoming meeting to our small town. According to the letter:
“Chokoloskee Post Office was placed under emergency suspension on 02/13/2021 due to the loss of the lease and moved into the alternate quarters. Since the suspension, alternate delivery service has been provided via PO Box service at the Everglades City Post Office. Retail services have been provided by Marco Island Post Office and Everglades City Post Office.”
Due to the Emergency Suspension the office is being studied to evaluate the facility operations in an effort to meet customer retail needs, increase efficiency, cut costs and improve productivity. Over time customer needs change, with many customers now receiving and paying bills online as well as communicating via email or text. The letter also says that:
“If a decision is ultimately made to discontinue the Chokoloskee Post Office and you are a Post Office Box customer, you will have the option of Post Office Box delivery at the Everglades City Post Office. The Everglades City Post Office is 4.0 miles from the Chokoloskee Post Office… Retail services would continue to be available through a variety of channels beyond traditional brick-and-mortar facilities, such as the www.usps.com website, stamp consignment locations, and Stamps by Mail, Fax, and Phone.”
Letter From Residents
Steven and Kate Riley, residents of Chokoloskee have this to say in a letter they provided to us.
The Post Office what does it mean? On our little island dating back to the early 1900’s it means going and getting your mail by foot, bicycle. Having a neighbor pick it up if you are sick. Everyone knows everyone. Yes, we had a public bulletin board. Yes, it was a community gathering place and so much more. Just try and put yourself in our shoes, please for just a moment and try to understand what you are proposing taking away FOREVER!
…
The history of postal service on Chokoloskee Is. is historic as you must know. Smallwood’s Store and Museum represent all of that past. People come from all over the World to this small “neck of the woods” rich in American history including the United States Post Office! You have a replica of our Post Office in the Museum. Now we must tell visitors they cannot mail anything from “Chokoloskee, FL 34138”.
We personally beg you to rethink what you are proposing and reach out and TRY to find a way to keep small town’s small with local postal service!
Steven and Kate Riley also provided some ideas for us to consider in their letter:
- Small and more efficient Post Office that is mobile in case of hurricanes. Driven to high ground when needed.
- Less hours of operation. A small community can deal with that.
- Increase PO Box rates vs. gas by driving to Everglades City.
- Reach out to see if a location can be donated for operations. We personally would work very hard to hopefully make that happen.
Whether you’re for or against moving the Chokoloskee Post Office, we all need to come together and voice what we believe is best for our community. We encourage all residents of Chokoloskee to join us tomorrow, Wednesday May 8 at 1pm at Chokoloskee Family Church of God. Have your voices heard, concerns addressed and questions answered.
Thank you to Steven and Kate Riley for their lovely letter and we encourage you to read the full letter here.
