Library to add post office Dec. 8

Maricopa residents will be getting a break when mailing packages this holiday season as the city is opening a new postal annex in the city’s library and cultural center.

The Contract Postal Unit will open Wednesday, Dec. 8 and operate Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. It will be closed on Sundays. In a city of more than 60,000, a second facility was important to relieve holiday mailing stress at the busiest time of the year.

“The sole location we have now started getting busy at the end of October,” said Becky Check, Administrative & Retail Services Supervisor for the Maricopa Library & Cultural Center. “Holidays are traditionally a major peak for shipping, and they’ve been seeing a lot heavier traffic earlier this year.

“People want to get their packages out and they’ve also heard the news urging everyone to mail early because of potential transit issues. Really, the arrival of this postal unit couldn’t come at a better time.”

The city was awarded a contract by the United States Postal Service in July to operate a Contract Postal Unit (CPU) inside the Library and Cultural Center at 18160 N. Maya Angelou Drive, adjacent to city hall.

The city has made some modifications to the facility to accommodate the post office.

“It’s no secret that our city is growing and that our current post office is packed – pun intended,” said Community Services Director Nathan Ullyot when the contract was granted. “So, credit to our local postal team and the USPS for pursuing and supporting this opportunity as a way to better serve our residents. We also look forward to seeing increased traffic at our beautiful new facility with these new services.”

The CPU will offer a range of postal products and services including stamps and products, domestic mail, international mail, and special services, including insured mail, certified mail, signature confirmation service, registered mail, prepaid mail acceptance, USPS tracking, and certificates of mailing.

MLCC is located in the geographic center of the city which makes it an ideal location as it is surrounded by rapidly growing residential neighborhoods and is at the easily accessible intersection of White and Parker and Bowlin roads. The city offers plenty of free parking at the site, with handicapped parking available just outside the east and south entrances to the building. Maricopa’s public transportation, The MET, makes frequent stops at MLCC.

Check said the CPU will provide relief in addition to just dividing postal customers between two locations.

“Its location spreads out the traffic that moves around the town,” she said. “(Currently) all the customers coming to original post office contribute to the congestion on 347. Traffic there can be heavy and challenging to get through, so this is definitely a welcome addition to provide some relief, especially as the city continues to grow so quickly.”