CHATFIELD, OH— Residents in Chatfield are expressing frustration over the lack of accessibility to their local post office. The post office, which has been serving the community since 1904, does not offer home delivery services. Postmaster Jill Stahl is responsible for overseeing operations in both Chatfield and Attica.
Residents are supposed to be able to pick up their mail from the office during the specified hours of 2-4pm Monday-Friday and 8:30-11am on Saturday.
Many residents have reported that the office is often open only one or two days a week at random hours.
This inconsistency has led to residents missing important bills and medication deliveries. One resident claimed that Stahl regularly sends medication back to the pharmacy, resulting in additional fees for the resident and calls to their insurance company to agree to honor copays during pharmacy pickup.
Many residents have reported that the local post office has been closed several times recently during posted business hours, including instances where there was a notice left instructing the recipient that a parcel was available for pickup, despite the office being closed.
Some residents have speculated this may be a way to circumnavigate the USPS tracking system, which requires packages to be scanned into their destination within a certain amount of time.
These issues and the lack of consistent service has prompted residents to take action.
Residents have contacted the office of Congressional Representative Bob Latta to address the situation.
Stahl is also the Postmaster of the Attica Post Office, where customers are reportedly experiencing similar difficulties. The following was posted on the City of Attica’s Facebook Page on July 9th:
“Good afternoon, Attica!
It has been brought to our attention the issues with the mail carriers and the water payments arriving late. We encourage residents to pay their bills at Sutton bank, or drop your payments off at the Village Hall to avoid late fees and shut off notices.
Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience!”
Crawford County Now reached out to Stahl for an explanation, but she refused to provide any information. After waiting on hold for several minutes while she tried to locate a contact person and phone number, Crawford County Now was directed to the national 800 number for the post office. Congressman Bob Latta’s office has also been contacted regarding their investigation into the claims. Congressman Latta can be reached at 1-800-541-6446. The number for the Attica Post Office is 419-426-4332.
Crawford County Now will continue to provide updates as the story develops.