Maunaloa Post Office Still Closed, Under Construction

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

After being closed on Feb. 24 for structural concerns and pest issues, the Maunaloa Post Office remains closed nearly two months later. Construction on the building is underway, and in the meantime, Maunaloa residents continue to have to pick up with mail at the Ho’olehua Post Office.

“The landlord for the Maunaloa Post Office is currently making repairs to the facility,” representatives of the U.S. Postal Service district office in Honolulu said in a statement to The Molokai Dispatch last week. “We look forward to reopening the facility when the repairs are complete. At the moment we don’t know when that will be.”

The 240 boxholders at Maunaloa, in addition to West End residents and condo owners who share boxes at the facility, must make the trip to Ho’olehua, where customers have reported lack of adequate storage, with boxes piled high outside. Many residents have expressed thanks for postal workers doing their best in the situation, sharing a small space.

The MEO bus has been making special, twice-weekly trips to assist Maunaloa residents in picking up their mail.

“In the meantime, we will continue to serve our Maunaloa customers via the Ho’olehua Post Office,” stated the USPS. “We thank those customers for their understanding and apologize to them for the inconveniences they are experiencing.”