By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Saginaw post office likely will cut its operating hours back in mid-November, a USPS official said during an Oct. 11 meeting.

During the meeting, which was held at the Camp Branch-Saginaw Civic Center and drew about 10 Saginaw residents, Alabama Manager of Post Office Operations Willie Trawick said the Saginaw post office off U.S. 31 likely will scale its retail service back to six hours a day on weekdays. The post office currently is open eight hours a day on weekdays.

If the new operational hours are approved, the Saginaw Post Office’s retail service will be open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with a lunch closure from noon-1 p.m. Saturday retail service times will not change, Trawick said. Access to post office boxes would not be affected.

The announcement came a few weeks after USPS officials mailed out surveys to the about 340 people served by the Saginaw post office. In the survey, customers were asked if they would rather realign the hours at the Saginaw post office, look at closing the Saginaw office and receive service from a rural carrier, look at closing the Saginaw office and use a “village post office” located in a retail establishment or look at closing the Saginaw office and transfer service to another nearby post office.

Of the 65 people who responded to the survey, 95 percent said they would like to keep the Saginaw office open and readjust its hours.

Trawick said the USPS proposed the new hours based on customer feedback, and will post a final decision at the office on Oct. 18. Once the decision is posted, the changes will go into effect in 30 days.

Trawick said foot traffic at the Saginaw post office is “good,” and “revenues are solid.”