Delays at Petersburg’s only post office have been a common occurrence in recent weeks. The post office had been limiting its front desk operations to four and a half hours per day. Petersburg has no mail delivery service, so at times the wait for packages stretched through the building and out the door.
Now, those hours are nearly back to normal. The post office is now open 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., with a lunch break from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
In an email, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson James Boxrud acknowledged that short staffing due to “significant turnover” at Petersburg’s location caused the delays.
KFSK spoke to people at the post office waiting to get mail. While nobody would speak on the record, locals said there were long lines and a full parking lot during the post office’s limited open hours. They expressed their appreciation for the employees working to find and sort their mail.
Boxrud said two applicants are currently undergoing background checks. The post office anticipates they could start work within a few weeks. In the meantime, the post office has temporarily moved employees from other parts of Alaska to fill in at Petersburg’s location.
He said the positions are part-time clerk positions, and that applicants are aware that they are part-time when they apply. Boxrud wrote that the part-time employees are “a fully vested Postal Service employee, and after completing their 90‑day probationary period, they are eligible for the full federal benefits package associated with their position.”
KFSK reached out to Petersburg’s postmaster for this story, who said she was unable to provide a comment.
