By ALLISON WOOD

The Post staff writer

Litchfield Township and post office officials are looking to help residents who will be affected by the closure of the Litchfield Post Office.

It was recently announced the post office would close at the end of the day on Friday, June 17, after the building owner and post office were unable to come to an agreement over a new lease. All operations will now move to the Medina Post Office, which is nearly 10 miles away.

While regular mail delivery will remain unchanged, P.O. boxes will be moved, which poses a problem for businesses and others who have them, said Victor Dubina, district public information officer.

The Litchfield closure is considered an "emergency suspension" but the post office is looking into providing some options to residents.

These could include placing a portable collection box near the area of the circle to allow post office box customers to collect mail, he said.

Another possibility is the placement of a contract postal unit nearby in a retail outlet - a local example are the kiosks at the Buehler's stores in Montville Township and Brunswick.

The closure is one of several in Northeast Ohio in recent months, which are necessary due to declining mail volume locally and nationally. Dubina said the post office loses $24 million a day nationwide.

"Given the financial situation, the flexibility isn't there," he said, but added Litchfield closed because the lease is expiring.

In addition, servicing rural areas like Litchfield costs more and the post office must charge the same rate for first-class mail nationwide. In contrast, FedEx and UPS usually charges more for rural deliveries. Currently, the Litchfield Post Office is one of the nearly 80 percent of post offices that do not make enough in delivery fees to cover expenses.

Dubina also emphasized that those with post office boxes can change to curbside delivery if they so choose.

Residents packed the Town Hall for a meeting on June 2 where Dubina and District Manager of Post Office Operations Marchelle Rogers answered questions.

Before the meeting, he went with township trustees to look at potential sites for a collection box.

Trustee Nancy Wargo, who was at the meeting, said people there felt agitated, and she is hopeful a solution can be reached so as few residents as possible are affected. She said a few residents offered potential properties that the post office could lease, but were told nothing could be decided until the lease contract on the current building expires.

"I think they are ready and willing to work with the township," she said. "The post office has been there for 50 years; it's very emotional for a lot of people."