A Multitude Of Issues Plague the Port Byron, Illinois Post Office

In Port Byron, Illinois, local residents have just one issue on their minds: When will their local post office reopen? About 80 residents met with U.S. Postal Service representatives last week to discuss their options. The post office in Port Byron was shut down last month when the roof began to leak. There are a number of other problems plaguing the site as well, including what are believed to be asbestos-laden floor tiles. Postal customers in Port Byron have had to travel to Hampton, Illinois to get their mail or make use of other post office services. Hampton is about six miles away.

Sara Lindauer, a postal service review investigator, explained that there are basically three options: moving the post office into a new building in Port Byron, moving back into the old post office if it is repaired, or simply not having a post office in Port Byron.

Lori Cross, manager of post office operations for the area, added that the repair of the post office building could be both expensive and time-consuming. “There are floor tiles cracking and they appear to be asbestos floor tiles; the retaining wall is crumbling, and there may be a problem with mold,” she said. “All of those repairs would have to be made before we could move back in.”

Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, but may kill some patients within mere weeks of being diagnosed.

Local Scott Reynolds hopes action is taken soon. “We’ve suffered damages,” he said. “It’s costing us time — and gasoline at nearly $3 a gallon — to drive to Hampton to collect our mail.”

Source: http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_f100f0f0-1211-11df-9c1c-001cc4c002e0.html