CLAFLIN — The United States Postal Service has announced a strategy to preserve rural post offices by reducing hours to match customer use, according to the U.S. Post Plan. There are 13,000 post offices that will be reviewed with this strategy, according to the USPS website and is expected to save half a billion dollars per year after 2014.
There are several post offices in the area that will be affected.
The USPO sent a survey to all postal customers in the smaller communities asking whether they would rather have reduced hours, have a Village Post Office, offer service from a nearby post office or have a rural carrier.
A town hall meeting was held last week in Claflin.  Claflin residents had circulated  petitions to keep things the way they were.
However, representative from the post office announced the Claflin Post Office will begin reduced hours effective Jan. 12, 2013.  It will provide six hours of window service each weekday, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. They will be open from 9-10 a.m. on Saturday.
Access to delivery receptacles will not change as a result of the POST Plan realignment of weekday service hours.
At Claflin, PO box mail will be available for pickup by 11 a.m. Monday-Friday and at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Olmitz
The Olmitz Post Office will also begin reduced hours on Jan. 12 to two hours a day. The window hours will be M-F 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and on Saturday 10:30 -11:45 p.m.

Pawnee Rock
The Pawnee Rock Post Office was slated for closure. However, at this time Pawnee Rock will stay open M-F 8 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m., and Saturday 8-9 a.m.
The Bushton Post Office is slated to reduce hours to four per day. The Hudson Post Office has been shut down.