West Chester Post Office Update

Dear John,

As you may know, the U.S. Post Office in West Chester, located at 1050 Airport Road, is closed indefinitely due to a fire last month. As the largest post office in our county seat, we all rely on it, and I know firsthand how difficult and inconvenient the closure has already been and will continue to be. Our office is here for you during this time, and resources are in place to help you get the postal services you need.

What we know:

The post office was damaged when a significant fire broke out on the evening of Thursday, July 18. Firefighters were called to the scene and were able to control the fire, but the post office remains closed as both Chester County Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) investigate the cause of the fire. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

The investigation is ongoing, and because of structural instability and toxicity, postal employees cannot enter the facility to identify or retrieve mail that was in the facility at the time of the fire.

Where to go now:

Chrissy outside West Chester Gay Street Post Office

Last October, I visited the Gay Street Post Office which was restored after I advocated for its repair.

If you used the Airport Road facility for retail mail services or had a P.O. Box there, those services have been transferred to the post office at 101 East Gay Street in West Chester. You can pick up vacation or “held” mail, oversized articles, or mail that requires your signature at the Gay Street office as well. The Gay Street Post Office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please note the Gay Street Post Office is not ADA-accessible, but the USPS is working on a solution for in-person customers at that location. In the meantime, you can buy stamps online at www.usps.com or by phone at 1-800-STAMP24. USPS also has a Click-N-Ship service on its website, so you can print shipping labels with postage for priority mail and priority mail express. Some locations provide package pickup service at your home upon request. You can also place your mail on hold or request the redelivery of an item for which a notice was left by calling 1-800-ASK-USPS or visiting www.usps.com.

If you used the Airport Road facility for business mail (BMEU) or drop shipment services, you can use the Southeastern S&DC (formerly the Tri-County Post Office) at 1000 West Valley Road in Wayne.

Missing Mail?

Because the fire was serious and caused significant structural and internal environmental damage, there’s no way to recover mail that was being processed or held at the Airport Road facility right now. If you think you are missing a bill or other mail, please contact your provider (credit card company, bank, billing company, etc.) to ask them to resend the mail. Please be sure to verify your address to ensure your information is up to date with your vendors and service providers.

You may also sign up for Informed Delivery. Informed Delivery is a free and optional notification feature that gives residential, business, and eligible P.O. Box consumers the ability to digitally preview their letter-sized mail and manage their packages scheduled to arrive soon. Informed Delivery is a daily email that even gives you a preview image of some of the envelopes coming your way.

If you need help retrieving something from a federal agency that you were expecting in the mail or have questions about mail pertaining to a federal agency, please don’t hesitate to contact my office for assistance.

What’s next?

The damage to the Airport Road facility is extensive — the structure itself will need major repairs, and the cleanup will also take some time — so plan to use the Gay Street Post Office or other nearby post offices for the foreseeable future. Recently, I met with administrators from the Postal Service to learn more about the fire and their plans to provide service to our community. They explained there are no plans to close the site permanently or move to a new location, but that the timeline for repairs and renovations has not been finalized. My team and I will update you when we have more information. Thank you to the firefighters and other emergency personnel for their quick response.

. . .

Serving as our community's representative is the honor of my lifetime, and I hope to hear from you soon about any issue that concerns you.

As always, please contact my office if you need assistance.

Be well, and see you soon!

Chrissy Houlahan

U.S. Member of Congress

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