THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 3, 1994 TAG: 9406030675
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: D1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: 940603 LENGTH: AYDLETT
But for the residents of this small Currituck County community, an even greater gift is word that their postal center will remain open.
{REST} ``The Postal Service has determined that this office will continue in operation,'' Lawrence Roffenbender, a U.S. postal official in Greensboro, wrote to several Aydlett postal patrons last week.
The small post office, which serves about 350 residents living along the Currituck Sound, had been scheduled to close because of slow business.
Ricky Hill, the postal officer in charge at Aydlett, said Thursday he has not received official word about the good news, but he's planning to celebrate anyway.
Lancaster, who represents the area, will arrive at 4:45 p.m. for a brief ceremony at the postal station on Aydlett Road, about three miles from U.S. 158.
The flag presentation will be followed by a public reception with refreshments at the nearby community center.
``We plan to show our congressman our appreciation for his efforts to save our post office,'' Hill said.
Lancaster, a Democrat who represents the 3rd District, was asked by several Aydlett residents to help in their fight to keep their ZIP code.
The congressman wrote a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General and last month sent aide Bob Peele to speak against the proposed closure at a public hearing. Almost a quarter of the town's population attended that meeting with U.S. Postal Service officials.
``Post offices are very personal things, and most all of them have a significant history behind them,'' Warren Hepler, Lancaster's district administrative assistant in Goldsboro, said Thursday.
The Postal Service wanted to combine the Aydlett station, almost 90 years old, with another nearby post office or contract with a private business.
However, a recent Postal Service study rejected those alternatives.
In addition, Aydlett's population - a mix of senior citizens and young families - is expected to grow during the next few years. Traffic and commerce will increase if a bridge between the mainland and the Outer Banks is built near the unincorporated town.
``When it goes through there, Aydlett's really going to bloom,'' said Marguerite Sawyer, a Currituck County resident and former Camden County postmaster who actively supported Aydlett postal customers.
Sawyer, president of the Retired Postmasters for the State of North Carolina, commended townsfolk for protesting in such a civil manner.
``They didn't do anything that was rude or ugly. I was real proud of the way they conducted themselves,'' she said.
Hill said people also are proud of themselves.
``I think everybody's excited that we're able to keep the post office open,'' he said. ``They feel like they have a victory over the government.''
Hill, 30, has been working at the Aydlett center since December and says business is picking up.
The postal worker, who lives just a stone's throw from the Aydlett office, has been encouraging residents and business owners to shop at his station for all their mail needs.
``We've got graduations and weddings this time of year,'' Hill said. ``You can tell them to come by the Aydlett Post Office and purchase their stamps.'' by CNB