Daily Freeman: Community members and area officials are fighting back against a plan by the U.S. Postal Service to shutter the West Park (NY) Post Office and force its customers to instead travel to Highland to collect their mail.

The roughly 170 post office box holders were informed via letters Monday, June 23, that after serving the small Esopus hamlet for more than 130 years, the post office — which once boasted famed naturalist John Burroughs as postmaster — would be shuttered at the close of business on Friday, July 24.

According to the letter and a notice posted on the Postal Service website Wednesday, June 24, “due to loss of lease,” the post office located at 1740 US 9W. will “temporarily close” at the end of business on Friday, July 24.

“A timeframe for a return to West Park has yet to be determined,” the notice states.

Mark Lawrence, strategic communications specialist for the U.S. Postal Service, declined to comment, stating in an email, “The Postal Service does not discuss lease negotiations.”

News of the plans caught both residents and local leaders by surprise. It prompted an emergency community meeting at Stonehedge Restaurant that attracted roughly 75 residents as well as Esopus Supervisor Roscoe Pecorra, Ulster County  Legislator Amy Dooley and a representative from U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan’s office.

“About 75 residents came together to kind of see what was happening and learn what they could do,” Dooley, D-Lloyd, said. “Most of the people talked about how important the post office was and how it gave them a sense of community.”

Dooley said that because the sparsely populated hamlet lacks a library or town facility, the post office has served as a de facto community gathering space.

And because mail delivery service isn’t available to the vast majority of the roughly 151 households in the hamlet, the change will mean a disruption to the lives of those who depend on the West Park Post Office.

Read more: Plan to close West Park Post Office stuns hamlet’s residents – Daily Freeman