Post Office Begins Countdown to Move

Workers at the New Providence Post Office had better get their change-of-address cards ready. 

After spending two years operating inside of a trailer, workers will be moving next July to full-time space in the Providence Liquors building in the old A&P Shopping center on Central Avenue. Their commute won't be much longer — the new office is about 200 feet away from its temporary location.

Unite States Postal Service spokesman George Flood says the new location will provide extra parking and that modifications made to the building will allow it to include a more customer-friendly lobby, more post office boxes and bigger displays with more mailing and shipping options for customers.

"The new site is in a very convenient location for the community," Flood said. "We are confident the community will be very pleased when we open the new Post Office."

The post office was previously located in the Village Shopping Center, but lost its lease about three years ago, Flood said. The previous location was used to accommodate the construction of the new A&P Fresh, which held its grand opening on Sept. 24.

While New Providence officials assisted in the selection of the new location, Flood said that the move won't cost taxpayers a dime.

"I don't think that this is costing the town anything. The post office is federal," said New Providence Borough Administrator Douglas R. Marvin. "I don't think it [will affect] local taxpayers."

Flood said the postal service finances its operating expenses solely through the sale of postage, products and services at its 36,000 locations nationwide.

For New Providence Postmaster Carl Lamers, the move can't come soon enough.

"I am 100 percent sure that it will be well worth the wait. The trailer has been a reasonable accommodation, and our customers and employees have been very understanding as we go through the public solicitation process of finding a new Post Office," Lamers said.

While plans are being finalized to meet the July 2011 grand opening, Lamers said the current tenant at Providence Liquors will still need to relocate and renovations will still have to be completed once the lease is finalized.

Central Avenue Resident Susan Peterson said while she really did not think there was any controversy over the temporary location or rush to move to a new site, she thinks a new location would be beneficial.

"It'll be nice for them to move out of the trailer," she said.

The new location  is one of three that had been considered for the move, according to a February article on NJ.com. The other two locations were Creations Hair Salon in the Village Shopping Center and the recent addition to McGrath's Hardware on Springfield Avenue.

Lamers said the Central Avenue location is ideal.

"At the end of the day, our goal is to provide our employees with a positive work environment and give the community a great place to do business, and we are confident the new location is the perfect site to achieve that goal," he said.