Black mold forces closure of
post office in Rombauer, Missouri
Monday, March 30, 2009
By TIM KRAKOWIAK ~ Daily American Republic
ROMBAUER, Mo. — The Rombauer,
Missouri,
post office has been condemned due to mold contamination.
The post office building was determined
unsafe because of mold for employees and customers after a facility specialist from the U.S.
Postal Service inspected it Feb. 17, 2009, according to a spokesman.
"There were several places
where mold was discovered," said Richard Watkins of the Kansas City,
Mo.-based Mid-America District. An emergency suspension put in place the
next day caused a disruption in mail services.
The Rombauer postmaster,
Shirley Dowd, is being credited with alerting her supervisor to the problem.
Dowd may have suffered medical problems linked to the condition of the
facility, according to Rombauer resident Bonnie Chaffin.
Asked to verify if the rumor
was true, the Watkins refused, saying it was up to Dowd to elaborate. "I
don't want to address an employee's health situation," he said.
Dowd declined to comment,
however, saying it was against postal regulations for her to speak to the
media.
When the post office was in
operation, Chaffin said, a rotten odor could be smelled upon entering. She
said many structures in Rombauer have black mold and termite issues because
of flooding problems.
"The Postal Service is well
adapted to handling these types of interruptions," Watkins said. "We will
make the transition as seamless as we can under the given circumstances."
A community open house will be
held from 5 to 7 p.m. April 7 at the Rombauer General Baptist Church to
explain plans and solicit comments.
A letter sent to customers the
week after the post office had shut down said the change in services was
tentative.
"A decision to permanently
discontinue the post office has not been made," wrote Wilbur Thornton,
manager of post office operations, based at Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Some customers in Rombauer,
with a population of 700, receive rural delivery out of either the Poplar
Bluff or Fisk, Mo., offices.
At least 38 Rombauer residents
had post office boxes at the closed office, Chaffin said.
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