Check's in the mail: McCausland gets donation from American Postal Union for post office

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By Kurt Allemeier | Friday, April 11, 2008 |

MCCAUSLAND, Iowa — The American Postal Workers Union is offering a big helping hand to the northern Scott County town as it tries to save its post office from closing.

The union is donating $30,000 to the city’s efforts to buy a building and outfit it to U.S. Postal Service requirements. Residents are trying to avoid having mail service suspended and changed to rural route delivery.

The donation, which will be presented to the city at a taco dinner April 19, means the city’s goal of $55,000 in donations and pledges has been reached to pay for fitting out the building with electricity and plumbing. The building was purchased by the city for $55,000, for a total project cost of $110,000.

“That took a huge load off of everybody’s mind,” said City Council member Lloyd Claussen, who has led the fund-raising effort. “It is a big boost and was generous of them to do that.”

The union was inspired by the residents’ efforts — one taco, one pork sandwich at a time — to save the town’s post office. A union representative from Des Moines will make a presentation at the taco dinner.

“We want to ensure that the town of McCausland keeps its post office — and its identity,” said William Burrus, president of the American Postal Workers Union. “We also wanted to insist that the Postal Service honors its commitment to the citizens.

“We were inspired by the efforts of the people of McCausland to take matters into their own hands in order to save their post office,” he said.

Now that McCausland residents have met their fund-raising goal, they aren’t sitting back, Claussen said. Plans are still going on for a car show next month.

“We’ll take anything above that,” he said. Additional funding would cover unplanned expenses that could crop up.

The union has written a letter to U.S. Postmaster General John E. Potter on the city’s behalf, asking for assurance that the post office will remain open in McCausland if the city meets its obligation.

The city is still negotiating a lease with the postal service before construction work inside the building begins, Claussen said. Work should be completed ahead of the July 31 deadline in case any changes are requested.

Kurt Allemeier can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.

If you go

What: McCausland post office fundraisers

When: Saturday, April 19, rummage sale 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and taco dinner 4-7 p.m.

Where: Rummage sale at McCausland United Methodist Church, 210 Hughes St.; taco dinner at McCausland Civic Center, 305 N. Salina St., McCausland.

How much: Taco dinner is $7 for adults; $4 for children ages 5-12; free for children younger than 5.