Bayard residents could see post office closure

‘A great pall’ falls over town
Emily Newman
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Thu Sep 29, 2011, 11:16 PM EDT

BAYARD, W.Va. — With more than 300 residents, all receiving their mail through post office boxes in Bayard, the United States Postal Service has announced that Bayard is on the list for the next round of possible closures.

“A great pall fell over our town when it was announced that our post office was being considered for closure,” said Mayor Steve Durst on Thursday morning.

A meeting was held Wednesday night to get public input on possible closure.

The letter also stated that in the event that it does close, Bayard residents will be able to get their mail at the Gormania Post Office, which currently serves around 25 residents.

“Personally, I want no post offices closed, but in this matter it makes better sense if one has to be closed, that Gormania’s be closed,” said Durst.

USPS takes into account several factors, including the revenue and working hours that the post office operates.

Gormania shows higher revenue than the Bayard post office and more hours worked. Durst said that one of the reasons for this is that the Bayard post office provides the post office boxes to every resident free of charge, and Gormania charges an annual fee.

Durst said that since the bridge from Bayard to Garrett County closed in 1988, Bayard has lost the business of people living just across the line in Maryland. Now to reach Bayard, people travel around Gormania. Durst said that this accounts for Gormania’s higher revenue.

“Presently, some people walk to their (post office box) located here in Bayard and have no means of doing otherwise,” said Durst.

Each post office being reviewed will have a feasibility study and public meetings before ultimately being closed. Cathy Yarosky, a representative from the USPS, said that right now, there are no certain plans.

“No decision has been made,” said Yarosky. “We look at a lot of criteria.”

If the post office would be closed, there are several options for people to get their mail.

The mail could be rerouted through Gormania, where residents would have a new post office box, the post office could put up a free-standing post office box or it could organize a village post office in one of the local businesses.

Durst said that none of these options is viable, since residents would have to travel a round trip of five miles to pick up their mail in Gormania, there would be no one to maintain a free standing box and that businesses are required to absorb the expense of operating a village post office.

In an effort to stop the process, Durst has written multiple letters to U.S. Sens. Jay Rockefeller and David McKinley. He said that both senators are behind the post office staying open, as is state Delegate Allen Evans.

“The Postal Service has an obligation, under the law, to make sure that rural customers have reasonable access to mail services,” said Rockefeller in a letter to Durst. “I will be closely monitoring the closure process to make sure that the Postal Service is living up to these important responsibilities.”

Both Durst and his wife, Glenna, presented formal responses at the meeting, which approximately 60 people in the Bayard area attended.

“Bayard is incorporated with a volunteer fire department, a police department, a bank ... two businesses ... two churches and close to 300 people. It seems to me that it makes more sense to keep a post office here than in a small community, like Gormania,” said Glenna, adding that, obviously, Gormania would not like to lose its post office either.

Emily Newman can be contacted at enewman@times-news.com

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