Camden citizen and state representative raise concerns over Camden Post Office
CAMDEN — Beedy Parker, a longtime Camden resident, stood before the town’s Select Board Tuesday evening, Sept. 6, expressing concern over the health of the Camden Post Office.
It is, she said, in a situation that is, “fairly unbearable.”
On Sept. 7, Maine Representative Vicki Doudera (D-Camden) penned a letter to Maine’s federal delegation – Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Congressman Jared Golden — saying, “Here in Camden we are watching a critical infrastructure, one that has been integral to America since our colonial days, straining at the seams.” (See below for the complete letter)
Parker spoke to the board during the public comment portion of the meeting, and asked the town to pay attention to the post office troubles.
She cited overworked postal delivery people, and said, “the postmaster just quit.”
She reported that in calling Rockland, that post office is also under similar duress, attributed to COVID and lack of employees.
She remembers well the years when the community fought to keep the post office downtown. It was touch and go with the federal government, but in the end, the post office remained in business in its current location.
Former Camden Select Board member Leonard Lookner remarked in 2015, during the 100th year celebration of the Camden Post Office: “I don’t know if anyone remembers the battle we went through years ago, which was headed by Chris Glass. It almost seemed irrelevant at the time, but it was when there was a lot of publishing in Camden, and they were going to move the post office out of town because it wasn’t large enough to serve the community. There was a huge political fight to keep the post office in town. Only through the good diligence of a number of members of our community did it stay. And we’re all thrilled it has.”
In 1985 the Camden post office building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Parker said the victory in keeping the Camden Post Office downtown during the 1980s was not the result of activism.
“We only succeeded because someone knew Baraba Bush, not for political efforts,” said Parker.
She said the U.S. Postal Service is an institution providing immeasurable service.
The postal deliverers walk around town, and, “make sure people get their mail in a culture where people are very separated.”
“We want to keep them and value them,” she said.
Letter from Rep. Vicki Doudera to Maine’s Congressional Delegation
Dear Senators King and Collins, and Congresspeople Pingree and Golden,
I write on behalf of the residents and businesses of my district regarding the distressing state of our Camden Post Office.
For months now it has been chronically understaffed and as of Saturday, September 10, the post office will be closed for an indefinite amount of time. Although employees say they are not allowed to talk about their work situations or what is planned in terms of reopening, we have heard that the closure is for completion of an ongoing construction project to upgrade the building and that our mail will be routed out of Rockland.
This explanation makes sense, although one would think that from a customer service perspective it would be communicated to post office patrons. To my knowledge the only notice is a sign on the door saying that the window hours have changed. Needless to say, the temporary closure of our building will be inconvenient for residents and businesses — especially for those without transportation who now walk to mail their letters and packages. It is only fair that we know as soon as possible the reason for the closure and the plan for when the building will reopen.
Perhaps more troubling are the working conditions for Camden Post Office employees, many of whom are our friends and neighbors. We know that our office has had trouble retaining employees due to conditions such as a mandatory six days per week work schedule and little or no overtime. Our postmaster is leaving her post this week and a longtime mail carrier will take early retirement at the end of the month.
As in many Maine towns, our historic Chestnut Street Post Office is a vital anchor of our downtown. Back in 1990 we fought successfully against postal officials in Washington who insisted our building was too small and needed to be replaced with a new, out-of-town facility. We disagreed, recognizing something that the folks in D.C. did not: our post office was not only beautiful, historic, and adequately sized, but it was, and continues to be, a community hub. I served on the small committee that mobilized to save our post office, and thankfully we won.
Now we are engaged in that fight once more. Obviously the U.S. Postal Service is not immune to the staffing shortages that are currently plaguing other businesses, but the dire situation at our post office has been going on for years. Here in Camden we are watching a critical infrastructure, one that has been integral to America since our colonial days, straining at the seams.
Please assure us that you and the United States Postal Service are aware of these issues and let us know what is in the works to help towns like ours.
With gratitude,
Vicki Doudera, State Representative
