In a last-minute save, the United States Post Office announced that it would remain in the Bunker Hill Mall on a holdover on their lease for the next few months as they look for a new, permanent home.
The lease on the busy postal branch reached crisis levels over the fall when the USPS announced its lease was running out on Dec. 31 and the Mall owners were not renewing the lease. As Dec. 31 came and went this week, the post office has not had to leave, though.
“We can alleviate all the concerns that we’re closing up and leaving on Dec. 31,” said Kurtis Bullard, USPS real estate specialist, on Jan. 2. “We’re not closing the branch. We’re going to stay open be in the same location on a holdover status to our lease.”
He said the USPS is in negotiations right now with the Mall owners about how long they can stay while they look for a new location within 02129.
It, however, is going to be a major challenge, said Bullard.
“Basically what we’re doing right now is wrapping up our public process and looking at what our options are,” he said. “I’ll be honest, there are a lot of challenges for me in that area. It’s a tough place to find good locations. For now, we’re going on a holdover status with the landlord in our current location…At this point, it will be awhile, but we will continue looking for a permanent home…Hopefully we’ll have some good news in the next few months.”
Bullard did say they have dispelled the notion of putting a trailer in the parking lot as a temporary measure, noting that with snow and winter weather, it just wouldn’t be practical for such a busy postal location.
“It just wasn’t going to work for us,” he said.
Bullard said they continue the search for a new location, and will update the community as soon as they have news. For now, the old location is the still the current postal place.