Small Town to Welcome VPO
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe state's next Village Post Office will open Wednesday in LaPorte County. It will be located in a family-owned retail shop in the town of Kingsford Heights. October 27, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Kingsford Heights is a town in LaPorte County with a population of 1,435. The town came about as a result of the munitions works built at nearby Kingsbury during the Second World War.
The Kingsbury Ordnance Plant was built between 1940 and 1941 and became one of the largest shell-loading plants in the nation. Because the munitions plant was located in such a rural area, staffing proved to be an enormous challenge. To accommodate the flood of workers, the War Department constructed a new town right outside the factory gates. Kingsford Heights consisted of more than 2,600 dormitories, trailers, and prefabricated homes. After the war ended in 1945, the Kingsbury Ordnance Plant shut down, but the community and surrounding area that had become Kingsford Heights remained.
On Wednesday, October 29, 2014, a little history will be made again in Kingsbury Heights when the 71st Village Post Office (VPO) in the Greater Indiana District opens at Knoll Brothers Retail, which has a Hamlet address – 8498 S US 6 &35, Hamlet, IN 46532. The grand opening will take place at 10:30 a.m (CST) and an open house will follow from 10:30 a.m to 12 p.m.
Owner Donna Knoll said opening a VPO in the store was a good idea when approached by the Postal Service. “We decided to give it a try and help the community at the same time,” she said. Store Manager Sue Parsons says she sees it as a service to the community. “With the Post Office going to reduced hours, being able to sell stamps and have the flat-rate boxes available for our customers when the Post Office is closed will be a great help. Also, our customers can drop off their mail with us, which will be very beneficial,” she said.
Knoll Brothers Retail opens Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The new postal center will be opened by Manager of Post Office Operations David Conwell. Several USPS and local officials will be present at the event.
In 2011, the Postal Service introduced the VPO model as an alternate retail location for postal products and services, especially in rural communities.
VPOs are operated by local businesses contracting with the Postal Service and offer a range of popular postal products and services including stamps and flat-rate packaging.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Follow us on twitter.com/USPS and like us at facebook.com/USPS. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.
Source: The U.S. Postal Service