Post office in small Colorado mountain community closes, leaving community confused and frustrated

Residents in the small mountain town of Poncha Springs are searching for answers after their post office shut down, forcing members of the Colorado community to drive to Salida for mail services.

Aside from the 10 minute drive difference between the two offices, locals say it has created new pressure on a post office that was already struggling to keep up.

"Thirty to 40 minutes (wait)," said Aaron Hanson, former Poncha Springs post office user, describing the post office  in Salida. "On any given day, any given day."

He admitted the holiday season is absolutely playing a part in that extra crowding, but even outside of that it has been tough.

One of the bigger issues residents told CBS Colorado about the closure itself was they believe it was not clearly explained, and that lack of communication has fueled frustration.

"Keep the channels of communication open ... they haven't done that," said Poncha Springs resident Todd Sigmier. "They've shut it down and just kind of gotten on with it."

Sigmier said the town had longstanding challenges with its post office, but losing it altogether has made things worse. Mail service for Poncha Springs has now been shifted to outdoor post office boxes in Salida, something residents say is far from ideal, especially in winter weather.

"Late October is when we got another letter saying, 'Oh by the way, this post office is closing at the end of the month,'" Sigmier said. "After that, you hear nothing."

The Poncha Springs post office was located on leased property. Aaron Hanson, who works for the company that owns the property, said they had made multiple attempts to keep the post office in place.

"We tried to reach out to negotiate a renewal," Hanson said. "We laid out three options. Renew the lease at the same rate, build an addition to accommodate growth for an additional cost, or walk away and let us figure something else out."

According to Hanson, those outreach efforts went unanswered until the very end.

"Time and time again, we tried to reach out through multiple different avenues, and they still refused to respond," he said. "The postmaster finally reached out right at the end to say they were no longer going to be on the premises."

The result has been longer waits and heavier workloads at the Salida post office, where both residents and businesses from two towns are now being served.

"It's a bad circus," Sigmier said. "You see that mile-long look in the eyes of the employees."

The United States Postal Service told CBS Colorado it still plans to build a new, larger post office in Poncha Springs, but that project could take up to eight months from when the lease is signed. 

 Until then, residents are left sharing a single location and waiting for clarity.

"We just want to get back to normal," Sigmier said. "That's it. Help."

For many in Poncha Springs, the lingering question is not just when a new post office will open, but why the closure happened the way it did.

"Why?" Hanson said. "That's what everybody wants to know. Why does that make sense?"