Cedar Lake postmaster: We’re in danger of closing

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Patti Sprehe helps Louie Kappas with mailings Wednesday afternoon at the Cedar Lake Post Office. | Jeffrey D. Nicholls~Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 3, 2012 11:35AM

CEDAR LAKE — A continuing decline in revenue and fundamental changes in the way people use the U.S. Postal Service could ring the death knell for more local post offices if something does not change soon.

Cedar Lake Postmaster Jim Eskridge warned members of the Cedar Lake Chamber of Commerce recently that slow branches like his may face the chopping block later this year as the U.S. Postal Service continues to look for ways to increase efficiencies and shore up finances.

“Every office is going to be scrutinized,” Eskridge said.

While the main branch at 9715 W. 133rd Ave. has seen its revenues increase by about 10 percent the past year, the satellite Contract Postal Unit branch on the other side of the lake at 7212 W. 132nd Ave., saw revenues for the same time period decline.

He said the post office is doing all it can to trim costs, but if it does not figure out ways to increase revenues it all may be moot. Email and on-line bill paying have decimated the need for first class mail.

“Your first class mail is your bread and butter,” Eskridge said. When he first began with the post office 28 years ago, carriers would deliver on average eight to 10 pieces of first class mail to each address every day. Today it is one to two.

The post office also continues to take hits as other businesses and organizations take advantage of the Internet. The IRS will no longer mails tax booklets, a $16,000 hit in income to the Cedar Lake branch alone.

Eskridge said if people would mail just one letter a month it would make a difference. In Cedar Lake alone that would mean 8,000 extra letters and two extra routes. Each carrier in Cedar Lake delivers between 2,000 and 2,200 pieces of mail a day.

If the post office is closed, delivery routes would be transferred to neighboring post offices like Lowell, St. John and Crown Point.

Town Councilman and Chamber President Robert Carnahan said residents and local businesses need to do what they can to use the post office so the growing town does not lose it.

“We’ve got to spread the word and get people to buy in town,” Carnahan said.