Post office needs space
John Cugler, postmaster of the Freeport Post Office, knows local residents will drive a long distance to avoid his branch.
It’s not the service. It’s the parking lot.
The Freeport Post Office shares a parking lot with Frank’s Cash and Carry, a lumber yard.
“There’s not enough space, and what space there is is difficult to maneuver,” said Cugler, adding numerous accidents and near-accidents have occurred over the years.
The parking situation is just one of the reasons the U.S. Post Office has advertised its need for a new site in Freeport.
A legal ad, which appeared in the Northwest Florida Daily News, describes the new location. The building would be more than twice the size of the current post office, which is a tad larger than 2,000 square feet. The 1.65-acre site would be large enough to allow parking for 47 vehicles.
The solicitation for possible parcels within Freeport city limits ends Jan. 4.
Cugler said that, even after a new site is selected and purchased, construction is expected to take between a year and a year and a half.
The need for a larger branch office reflects the changes in Freeport in recent years.
“Look around,” Cugler said. “The developments are going on.”