We've got mail

The Cape Girardeau post office is scheduled to be back in business at its old location on Frederick Street in September, the result of a decision by the U.S. Postal Service to buy the building and undertake renovations. The post office moved out of the leased building more than a year ago, claiming there were problems with the roof. It moved to a cramped location on Christine Street, which is to be closed.

Some, including U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, think the U.S. Postal Service made a mistake by returning to Frederick Street instead of relocating to a newer facility on the west side of town.

Cape Girardeau does need a retail postal location on the west side of town, and the postal service is expected to open a temporary west-side facility in as soon as a month. But most of the city's businesses and institutions that do high-volume mailing are located east of Kingshighway. Whether or not those determined the postal service's decision, financial considerations played a role.

The 18,000-square-foot building cost $500,000 and will require another $300,000 in renovations. Existing warehouse space was available for about the same price, but building a new post office of the same size on the western side of the city could have cost an estimated $1.7 million, according to one Realtor.

The renovated post office will have a new roof, upgraded electrical and lighting systems and new mailboxes. The lobby also will be renovated. The wisdom of the postal service's decision will be debated in coffee klatches across the city for a long time to come, but come September it will be nice to have our old post office back.