West Branch, IA Post Office Set to Reopen

Asbestos Removal is Complete at Leased Facility

Des Moines, Iowa – The Postal Service delivered some holiday cheer for West Branch, Iowa customers when it was announced that the Post Office will reopen beginning Wednesday, Dec. 17 for PO Box customers, and Thursday morning, Dec. 18 for full retail services. The Post Office was relocated to City Hall Dec. 9 after the building's owners, the National Park Service, scheduled heating duct work.

"Obviously, some good news for our West Branch customers," said Mark Allen, a manager of Post Office Operations for the Postal Service's Des Moines-based Hawkeye District. "We received confirmation from our Facilities Environmental manager that asbestos fibers were not detected in excess of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s clearance threshold."

The Postal Service, which leases about three quarters of its 37,000 Post Office locations nationwide, was forced to vacate after the Park Service notified the Post Office that scheduled ventilation maintenance would include the removal of asbestos. Federal regulations prohibit the Postal Service from operating a Post Office while asbestos removal is underway, forcing the West Branch Post Office to evacuate and set-up a temporary Post Office in Iowa City -- about 14 miles away.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.