Ho’olehua Post Office Reopens

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

After nearly a week-long closure because of structural concerns, the Ho’olehua Post Office was cleared to reopen last week Tuesday.

“We want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during the temporary closure” said USPS Manager of Post Office Operations Gary Logan, who oversees all neighbor island postal operations. “The safety and security of our customers and employees is our top priority.”

The post office on Pu’upe’elua Ave is a leased structure on land owned by Dept. of Hawaiian Homelands, according to tax map records. Safety concerns at the building were identified by a team of staffers from Honolulu that oversee neighbor island operations, according to USPS spokesperson Duke Gonzales. A thorough assessment was completed by a structural engineer, and it was cleared for operation al use starting Feb. 9.

“We will be working with the landlord to ensure that the facility is safe and properly maintained,” said Gonzales.

During the closure, which lasted between Feb. 2 and Feb. 8, Ho’olehua Postmaster Roxanne Tancayo and staff distributed mail to her nearly 450 customers from under pop-up a tent in the back parking lot of Kaunakakai Post Office. Tancayo said she was given notice of the concerns Tuesday afternoon and spend the rest of the day gathering packages and mail from PO boxes and hauling them to Kaunakakai.

Following the clearance to operate last week, the Ho’olehua Post Office resumed its usual hours of 8:30 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.