Meetings scheduled to decide fate of Herod, Muddy post offices
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The U.S. Postal Service has scheduled meetings to inform and listen to customers of the Herod Post Office and Muddy Post Office, two offices the service is reviewing for possible closure.
The Herod Post Office meeting is 5 p.m. Wednesday at Herod Springs Baptist Church just behind the post office. The Muddy meeting is 5 p.m. Monday at Muddy First Baptist Church.
Comments from the public could influence the U.S. Postal Service's review of the two, according to U.S. Postal Service Spokeswoman Valerie Welsch.
Welsch said she expects a decision to be made by December.
Welsch said under consideration are availability of retail services post offices provide in other areas whether they be other post offices within a few miles or businesses that could handle postal retail.
The review involves 3,700 post offices across the country, Welsch said. There are 153 post offices under review in the Gateway District that includes Southern Illinois, central Illinois and central and northeast Missouri.
She said customers would be told of any closings through a notice posted at the post offices.
State Rep. Brandon Phelps has declared his interest in saving the two post offices and others in his district under review for possible closure. Phelps has introduced a resolution in the Illinois House of Representatives urging the U.S. Postal Service to strongly consider not closing several rural post offices in the state, according to a release from Phelps' office.
"Several of these locations are in my district, and I plan to do everything I can to make sure these closures do not become a reality. These post offices serve as a very important place to many in these communities, especially those where there is no mail delivery, and going down to the post office is the only way to get mail, post a local meeting time or simply mail a birthday present to a loved one," Phelps said in a prepared release.
Local employees of post offices on the watch list can inform Postal Service officials of issues such as offers to take over building maintenance, increase postal box fees and another other ideas they have to lobby for their office not to be closed, according to the release.
After the public meetings the people at the U.S. Postal Service will make a recommendation to officials in Washington, D.C., about who should stay on the closure list. There will be a 60-day comment period before the Postal Service makes a final decision and there will be an appeal process.