Flood delivers major damage to post office

Milltown - The borough Post Office on Washington Avenue will remain closed for four to six weeks due to flood damage incurred during the April 15-16 nor'easter.

The building took on 18 inches to 2 feet of water in some sections, according to George B. Flood, spokesman for the United State Postal Service. The flood, which resulted from the overflowing of the Lawrence Brook, caused the flooring to buckle, damaged wall board, sills and bolts, and saturated some electrical equipment.

Cleanup crews are in the process of pulling out all unsalvagable material and preparing the building for reuse, and the postal service is arranging for estimates from contractors for the rehabilitation project, Flood said. The total damage estimate was unknown.

"We don't have a handle on the exact number yet," Flood said Tuesday.

In the meantime, Milltown's mail carriers have been relocated to the East Brunswick Post Office, Cranbury Road, and a mobile postal unit is being operated in the parking lot of the Milltown post office for retail and post office box customers.

Acting Postmaster Cynthia Heluck said every effort is being made to maintain postal retail and mail delivery services. She added that alternate retail access and delivery is being provided for the community.

Heluck recommended that stamps be purchased at face value at local retailers who participate in the Postal Service's Stamps-to-Go program.

Local stamp vendors include Albertson's, at 300 Ryders Lane; Commerce Bank, at 286 Milltown Road in East Brunswick; and Walgreens, at 421 Ryders Lane in East Brunswick.

Business hours at the mobile postal unit are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Bulk mail customers can deposit mailings at the nearby USPS Kilmer Processing & Distribution Center at 21 Kilmer Road in Edison. Acceptance hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Consumers can also access the Postal Service's Web site at www.usps.com for postal information.

"A lot of postal business can be done online," Flood said, noting that many people do not realize they have that option. The "click and ship" function, in particular, is just starting to catch on.

"You can actually print out your postage right from your own computer and schedule a pickup for the next business day," he said.