CHAMBER BACK DRIVE FOR NEW CASTLEBAR POST OFFICE
March 1996
A COMMUNITY effort is being launched to have a new post office headquarters sited at a central location in Castlebar to replace the 94-years old building which is too small to deal with the volume of business now being carried on by An Post in the town.
The centre, the second busiest in the region outside of Galway, caters for some six thousand customers weekly, writes TOM GILLESPIE. Now the Castlebar Postal Branch of the Communications Workers' union are leading the drive to have a new PO built in the county town.
And they have the backing of the local Chamber of Commerce who will mount a petition, the signatures of which will be presented to the Minister for Communications Michael Lowry, to impress on him the need for the new HQ.
The location of the existing PO on a hill at Mountain View is most unsuitable for the two thousand old folk who collect their pensions there. And seven hundred people weekly collect their unemployment payments, putting further pressure on the postal staffs.
Mr. Michael Brophy, secretary of the local Postal Union said the existing Post Office did not have proper access or parking. There was no seating for elderly customers, there was a lack of privacy and his 30 members, male and female, have the use of just one shower. The provision of extra staff and a new building was needed immediately.
Mr. Brophy said: "An Post is the only institution which has made no major investment in its premises. Castlebar Post Office is the only public building in the town which has not been upgraded in recent years."
The sorting office is not large enough to cater for the volume of mail which passes through the centre. An average of 12,000 incoming and 7,000 outgoing items pass through the sorting office on a daily basis.
The President of Castlebar Chamber of Commerce, Mr P J Hennelly said they were calling on the Minister to give a firm commitment to that work would commence on the new building next year.
He said: "The present Post Office is not capable of catering for the needs of this growing town. We are demanding that a new and centrally located office be erected by An Post as soon as possible."
Next year, he said was an election year and it was vital that a commitment was given now to the provision of the PO.
He added: "A petition is to be launched seeking support for this vital development for Castlebar. We ill be making arrangements to collect signatures at our offices at New Antrim Street and at other locations throughout the town."
A meeting is to take place between the Postal Union and the Chamber to decide on future policy to promote the cause of the new post office.
