The post office in tiny New Raymer in rural Weld County has been taken off the hit list of postal facilities headed for closure in Colorado.
The rural Weld County facility — which serves about 200 people in the town and surrounding communities — was among 71 potential post offices in Colorado headed for shutdown as the U.S. Postal Service looks to cut costs.
But the USPS said a number of factors played into the decision to keep the New Raymer office open, including the distance from the nearest postal facility and a lack of other businesses that could sell Postal Service products and services.
Public support for the facility also was a factor.
“It’s an early Christmas present,” said Weld County Commissioner David Long. “It’s nice for rural America to be re-recognized as a valuable part of American opportunity. Having a post office is a major piece of that opportunity.”
The Weld County commissioners protested the decision to close the New Raymer office, as did several members of the Colorado congressional delegation.
The Postal Service said, however, that the New Raymer office may be looked at for closure in the future.
Facilities in Stoneham, Carr and Hereford in rural Weld County were still being looked at for shuttering, said Postal Service spokesman David Rupert.
So far, nine of the 71 post offices headed for closure in Colorado have been spared, Rupert said. Monte Whaley, The Denver Post
