SHUTESBURY — Shutesbury residents will continue to have a post office in town center, with the U.S. Postal Service agreeing to renew its lease at the 8 Wendell Road site.
The announcement that service will not be interrupted, what he described as a “huge win for the community,” was made late Friday afternoon by U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey, whose representatives spoke to residents at a May 21 rally on the town green across from the post office.
“Following weeks of advocacy from my office, the federal delegation, the American Postal Workers Union, and, most of all, from the community, it is great news that the USPS has reversed course on its decision to close the Shutesbury Post Office,” Markey said.
A message had been posted on the door to the post office that the site would close effective at the end of business on June 6, with all services being transferred to the Leverett Post Office. That would have included for those residents who have post office boxes, both inside the building and in a covered area next to the parking lot.
Town Administrator Hayley Bolton in her message to the community, after Markey was in touch with her, wrote,”we all deserve a pat on the back.”
“Thanks to our advocating efforts, our post office lives another day,” Bolton wrote. “A sincere thank you to everyone who participated in this effort, it was a great showing of what our community can do.”
Bolton said Monday in a phone interview that the post office was open for business and signs warning of its imminent closure had been removed.
“A very sincere thank you to all of those who advocated for the post office, it’s such an important service,” Bolton said. She also gave kudos to U.S. Congresman Jim McGovern and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren for their help.
The town’s work began on May 6, when a letter from Matthew Weir, manager of Post Office Operations J, was posted on the door to the post office. That noted the decision was made to shutter the site because postal officials were unable to renew the lease on the building. The lease had actually expired more than two years earlier, on April 30, 2024.
At annual Town Meeting, residents were informed of the situation and the opportunity to fill out community impact statements, where they could describe their concerns. The rally on the Town Common, with people holding signs, was another place to complete the community impact statements, as well as sign a banner to promote keeping the post office open.
Many of those said the post office is place to get letters and packages, as well as medication, and worried about having a 15-mile or longer round trip.
Jesse Lederman, regional director for Markey, told those gathered that the post office committed to renewing discussions on a lease. One resident there spoke optimistically about what this would accomplish, observing that Shutesbury was where Daniel Shays lived prior to leading the Shays’s Rebellion in the late 18th century.
The town also formally challenged the closure decision based on several primary violations of Title 39 of the U.S. Code, such as requiring a minimum of 60 days’ notice before a post office may be closed or consolidated, whereas Shutesbury was given only 30 days; that the postal service notice omitted mandatory information regarding the community’s right to appeal to the Postal Regulatory Commission; and that the 15-mile round trip for some is not the federally required “effective and regular” service to rural areas.
Bolton said that small Franklin County towns are now 2-0 in efforts to keep their post officers solvent. The Leverett Post Office was briefly on the chopping block in early 2011, but that decision was reversed prior to a planned community meeting. At that time, Leverett residents were being told their post office boxes and service would be shifted to Sunderland.
Bolton said the banner signed by community members, along with photographs of the rally, will likely be displayed publicly as a tribute to their hard work.
