Ads
Print
Comment
Rate
Postal satellite site may ease burden
 |
| Ace is the place: Lidia Morris, left, and Jonette Werch help a customer at the postal facility in Ace Hardware in Corona de Tucson. (Thelma Grimes/photo.) |
Thelma Grimes/Vail Sun
At a time when gas prices are expected to exceed $4 a gallon in Tucson, Ken Allen of Ace Hardware in Corona De Tucson said he wanted to find a way to help residents manage their day-to-day lives with ease.
While in the process of building the new store in Corona over the last few years, Allen said residents would stop by and say what they really needed was a post office, noting that the closest one is about 12 miles up the road on the corner of Rita and Houghton roads.
Allen and partner Beau Borboa had been developing homes in the area for years.
"When Corona went from 1,000 houses to about 8,000 there were no services out here for the people," Allen said. "Then as we started to develop the Ace store and people would stop by, and many would say how nice it would be to have a post office so they wouldn't have to drive so far."
Taking the request seriously, Allen said he began doing some research that led him to Rodger Freitag, the U.S. Postal Service contracting officer representative for the Tucson area.
Freitag said he opens smaller postal facilities throughout Tucson while charging the customers the same prices. Freitag has opened 19 full-service post offices in the Tucson area.
"Arizona is the second-fastest growing state in the nation and these kinds of projects allow us to give residents full postal services at the same price," Freitag said.
The postal service has a goal of having about 30 percent alternative post offices in the nation. Freitag said Tucson already has more than 30 percent.
"There was a request to open an alternative post office out here in Corona about seven years ago, but there just wasn't a population base to support it," Freitag said. "Now, there are plenty of people out here."
With high gas prices, Allen and Freitag agreed that not only is Ace Hardware giving Corona residents a nearby shopping center, but the post office will increase their options.
While the Ace Hardware store opened on Houghton Road, just south of Sahuarita Road in February, the new post office just opened a few weeks ago.
Allen said word has already spread about the new services and they are busier every day. The post office is open in the back of the Ace store seven days a week. Monday through Friday the hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"We want the people to know that we are here for them," Allen said. "This has made it easier for them, and in this day and age with costs of everything going up and gas prices, it's not always easy to get by."
Freitag said there are a lot of Corona residents with family members in Iraq where care packages are important to the morale of the soldiers. Freitag estimated that before the Corona post office was opened, it would cost a resident about $5 in gas just to drive 10 miles up the road to mail that package.
At a time when gas prices are expected to exceed $4 a gallon in Tucson, Ken Allen of Ace Hardware in Corona De Tucson said he wanted to find a way to help residents manage their day-to-day lives with ease.
While in the process of building the new store in Corona over the last few years, Allen said residents would stop by and say what they really needed was a post office, noting that the closest one is about 12 miles up the road on the corner of Rita and Houghton roads.
Allen and partner Beau Borboa had been developing homes in the area for years.
"When Corona went from 1,000 houses to about 8,000 there were no services out here for the people," Allen said. "Then as we started to develop the Ace store and people would stop by, and many would say how nice it would be to have a post office so they wouldn't have to drive so far."
Taking the request seriously, Allen said he began doing some research that led him to Rodger Freitag, the U.S. Postal Service contracting officer representative for the Tucson area.
Freitag said he opens smaller postal facilities throughout Tucson while charging the customers the same prices. Freitag has opened 19 full-service post offices in the Tucson area.
"Arizona is the second-fastest growing state in the nation and these kinds of projects allow us to give residents full postal services at the same price," Freitag said.
The postal service has a goal of having about 30 percent alternative post offices in the nation. Freitag said Tucson already has more than 30 percent.
"There was a request to open an alternative post office out here in Corona about seven years ago, but there just wasn't a population base to support it," Freitag said. "Now, there are plenty of people out here."
With high gas prices, Allen and Freitag agreed that not only is Ace Hardware giving Corona residents a nearby shopping center, but the post office will increase their options.
While the Ace Hardware store opened on Houghton Road, just south of Sahuarita Road in February, the new post office just opened a few weeks ago.
Allen said word has already spread about the new services and they are busier every day. The post office is open in the back of the Ace store seven days a week. Monday through Friday the hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"We want the people to know that we are here for them," Allen said. "This has made it easier for them, and in this day and age with costs of everything going up and gas prices, it's not always easy to get by."
Freitag said there are a lot of Corona residents with family members in Iraq where care packages are important to the morale of the soldiers. Freitag estimated that before the Corona post office was opened, it would cost a resident about $5 in gas just to drive 10 miles up the road to mail that package.
 |
 |
|
| Pinched at the pump, drivers must adapt | Vail Sun staffers net state press awards |
Gary wrote on May 29, 2008 10:59 AM: