New Watford City Post Office anticipates opening spring 2017

WATFORD CITY, ND: In August 2015, the postal service announced its decision to relocate into the old S&S Motors Building. Bids for a new facility were solicited and a lease has been signed for the space at 1204 4th St. NE. Design is currently underway.

Pete Nowacki from the US Postal Service states, "We anticipate awarding a construction bid by the end of summer with occupancy of the new facility in spring 2017." The post office will still be operating out of its current location after the opening of the new facility.

Nowacki states, "Rapid population growth in the city and vicinity with a corresponding growth in mail volumes sparked the need for additional operating space for PO Boxes, delivery routes and mail processing. The current facility located at 212 2nd St. NE is 4,290 square feet. The expanded facility 1204 4th St. NE has approximately 9,000 interior square feet, capable of housing 10 delivery routes, 3 service counters, 2,976 PO Boxes and parcel lockers to provide a secure package delivery option without having to visit the retail counter."

In the past few years, the US Postal Service has done the following:

• Opened a second full-service Post Office, Badlands Station, in Williston in July, 2014.

• Established contract postal units at grocery stores in Watford City and Sidney, MT; and a Village Post Office facility in Tioga to expand access to postal products and services.

• Installed Self-Service Kiosks (SSKs) in Dickinson, Williston and Watford City. Using a credit card, customers now have 24/7 access to many postal products and services.

• Installed additional Post Office Boxes and parcel pick-up lockers in several locations.

• Added more than 2,000 deliveries in the region since Sept. 2013.

• Installed state-of-the-art mail processing equipment upgrades at the Bismarck Processing & Distribution Facility. The new machines include an Automated Flat Sorting Machine (AFSM), which can process as many as 13,600 pieces of flat mail (large envelopes, magazines, newspapers) per hour; and an Automated Parcel and Bundle Sorter (APBS) which can process up to 3,500 packages and bundles of mail per hour – more than three times the previous capacity.

• Established Consumer Advisory Councils -- forums for active participation by community members and postal officials -- to enhance relations and resolve residential and business customer concerns.