Post office substation slated to open Monday

The new postal substation in the Bi-State convenience store at 920 N. Kingshighway is scheduled to open on Monday.

The location should help ease demand on the temporary retail office on Christine Street, said postmaster Mike Keefe. The substation, located on the west end of Cape Girardeau, will offer standard post office services, excluding post office boxes, registered mail and money orders.

"We perceive that, on this side of the city, this will be a very beneficial location," Keefe said. The substation provides closer access for residents living on the west end. It will also be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., three hours longer than the Christine Street location, which operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

About 30 parking spaces are available at the substation, said Bi-State owner Scott Blank. A full-time manager, Evan Trump, was hired in October, and two part-time employees will wrap up training in about a month.

Plans to open the substation began about two years ago when Blank and Keefe discussed the prospect of another postal location. Blank had learned, he said, through trade magazines and peers that several businesses in other states have run successful postal substations. It was customers who prompted him to follow through, he said.

"From time to time, customers would come in and vent their feelings, saying 'Well, I've got to go to the post office. I wish we had one on this side of town,'" Blank recalled about the conversations.

Bi-State customer Trisha Traughber, 48, lives a few blocks from the substation. She prefers to manage most of her business close to home, she said, so the new location will be convenient.

"The less driving I have to do, the better I like it," she said.

The postal service will pay $37,000 annually to the contracted retailer to operate the station. No firm figures are available on the costs for renovating the substation, Blank said, yet all costs have come out of Bi-State's budget.

The Christine Street facility will remain open until repairs and renovations are completed at the stand-alone retail facility on Frederick Street, which was vacated for repairs in December. No date has been set to move retail back into the building, Keefe said. However, postal carriers should return to the building once repairs on the lighting and drop ceilings are completed, he said, which should be within a couple months.

Though building renovations continue, Keefe will conduct a final inspection today to verify that the roof is finished. Roof repairs began in July and have cost at least $300,000.

The completion date has been pushed back as unforeseen structural problems surfaced. Electrical wiring, interior lights and roof supports needed work. Cosmetic changes are planned for the for the lobby and customer-service space. Estimated repair costs are at least $800,000.

jmetelski@semissourian.com