CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
By order of the U. S. Postal Service postmaster, the Charleston AFB branch will officially close Dec. 31.
"The revenue was not supporting a USPS employee being there so it's going to save the post office a lot of money," said Timothy Shaw, USPS Charleston postmaster. "Also, the building on the base has been slated for demolition for several years, so we can still provide the same service or better service without having an employee working at the branch on base."
The closure will not affect the postal service center for dorm residents and general delivery or the official mail center. These customers will receive mail the same way they have been.
However, dorm residents will not be able to receive certified or registered mail or packages on the base anymore. When the residents are notified of receiving such packages by a USPS notification card, they will need to pick them up at the Cross Country Branch.
Alternate local USPS branch locations include:
Cross County Branch
7075 Cross County Rd.
Charleston, SC 29423
Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-noon
North Charleston Branch
6401 Rivers Ave.
North Charleston SC 29406
Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-noon
Official mail dropped off to the 437th Communications Squadron OMC by a customer will be sent out the following duty day at 10 a.m. Any incoming mail from USPS at 10 a.m. will be delivered the same day. Express or overnight mail must be dropped off at an off-base USPS location. Per Department of Defense Directive 4825.8, personal mail and care packages must not be sent from or to the OMC; the OMC is for official mail use only.
Team Charleston can still buy stamps at the base exchange and drop off letters and small packages in the USPS boxes near the military clothing sales store and the 437th Medical Group.
For more information, contact the 437 CS OMC at 963-3281 or visit www.usps.com.
(Airman 1st Class Melissa White contributed to this story.)