HANALEI — The Hanalei post office is set to reopen Monday, more than three months after the building was damaged in Kauai’s April flooding.
The U.S. Postal Service announced the closure of the Hanalei post office April 18, and directed Hanalei PO box customers to pick up their mail from the post office in Kilauea while repairs were completed.
“I’m extremely happy to be reopening our doors,” said Hanalei Postmaster Eileen Brieck. “I’m also very grateful to all of our customers and the Hanalei community in general for their patience over the past few months. Everyone has been so kind in their support and unbelievably patient in adapting to the office’s closure. I can’t wait to be open.”
The USPS expanded mail services May 1 to help customers impacted by the Hanalei closure, extending daily hours. Meanwhile, the Kilauea post office started offering special will-call mail pickup services for Hanalei PO box holders to alleviate the tension.
“The postal facility sustained severe damage during the flooding,” said USPS spokesman Duke Gonzales in a press release. “Before reopening, the interior of the office was extensively gutted and rebuilt.”
Monday, the doors will be open again, and the Hanalei post office will resume its previous hours of operation, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
The Hanalei post office will be hosting a special open house in August to celebrate its reopening.
It’ll be back to business as usual at the Kilauea post office and the Princeville post office on Monday as well.
Meanwhile, there are no updates available for the relocation of the Lihue post office from its historic building on Rice Street to the carrier annex near the Lihue Airport, a USPS economical decision that will help the entity make operations more efficient.
USPS announced the decision in December after two community meetings with dozens of Kauai residents to discuss the relocation and after more than 100 coconuts and 545 letters were sent to USPS asking them to reconsider the relocation.
No date has been set for the Rice Street location’s closure, according to USPS officials, but Gonzales said he will be providing updates as they are available.
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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or at jelse@thegardenisland.com.
