Two words describe the future of the post office in Charlestown: address unknown.
The lease is almost up, and the Postal Service is looking for a new space.
“The landlord has made known his intent to terminate our lease at the end of the year,” Steve Doherty, a spokesman for the Postal Service, said in an e-mail.
The post office in Charlestown is located next to a CVS store in the Bunker Hill Mall, a retail development that’s anchored by Whole Foods and bordered by Austin Street, Main Street, and Rutherford Avenue.
Doherty said the Postal Service is negotiating for another space in the mall.
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While the fate of the post office remains unclear, Doherty said a public meeting will be scheduled before the facility needs to move.
“There are several milestone activities to come, including final discussions with our current landlord on alternative space prospects and the scheduling of a public meeting, should we need to explore additional facility opportunities,” Doherty said in the e-mail. “We should know about the need for such a meeting shortly and expect one in September, if necessary.”
Doherty said the Postal Service is committed to “maintaining a retail presence in Charlestown” and “will continue to press forward toward a solution that will provide our Charlestown neighbors with the First Class service they deserve.”
Mall representatives said in a statement that they had “informed the United States Post Office in 2017 that we would not be re-leasing their present space to them at the end of the 2018 calendar year. We realize that the Post Office is an important part of the community providing many services; area residents should be aware that at this time there are multiple UPS and FedEx drop box locations (including one in Ace Hardware) throughout town and that passport photos and stamp purchases can be done at the local CVS.”
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The statement said the CVS would be expanding into the space that will be vacated by the post office.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.