The St Lucy Post Office reopened Friday after a $150 000 refurbishment, almost a year after a break-in forced its sudden closure and left residents without direct access to critical postal services.
Speaking at a media briefing to mark the occasion at Benthams, St Lucy, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams apologised to residents for the delay in restoring the service.
“First of all, allow me to extend a sincere apology to the people of St Lucy for the delay in completing the critical renovations needed to restore your post office to full operation,” he said.
The minister explained that although the facility had been slated for substantial repairs, its closure was accelerated by “an unfortunate break-in on the night of October 6, 2024, just days before postal organisations worldwide celebrated their contribution to the national . . . development of World Post Day”.
“The break-in disrupted postal operations, it damaged property, and forced management to reassign staff while also making alternative arrangements for continued service delivery,” he noted.
According to Abrahams, repairs cost the government about $150 000. However, he said the greater cost was the disruption to residents’ daily lives, as many were forced to travel to other post offices for their transactions.
“From this setback, however, propelled the commencement of the work that was long overdue,” he added.
Upgrades included roof repairs, fresh interior and exterior paintwork, improved lighting fixtures, installation of a water tank, and the addition of a generator to ensure uninterrupted operations during emergencies. The generator was funded through the Universal Postal Union’s disaster resilience fund, which supports postal services in developing nations.
“This means going forward a likely reduction in closures and operational downtime,” Abrahams said.
Highlighting the importance of the post office to national security, he said the refurbished building now meets all postal service security, safety, and health standards.
“The post office is a frontline player in our nation’s border security, and this facility now fully meets the postal service’s security, personal safety and health standards. Like the upgrades at the Eagle Hall and Welch’s post offices, these were not minor works, and we thank our customers for their patience during the process,” the minister added.
The renovated St Lucy Post Office now accommodates both counter services and postal delivery operations. Residents can once again access services such as pension cashing, utility bill payments, liquor licence applications, fees for police certificates of character, and contributions to inmates’ accounts at Dodds Prison. Other services including registered mail, parcel collection, and parcel dispatch have also resumed. (SB)
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