The post office will close its Collinsville retail operations at 130 S. Center Street at noon, Friday and re-open retail services at 8:30 a.m. Monday at 1610 Eastport Plaza Drive.

The building, at 130 S. Center Street, that housed the Collinsville post office from 1964 to Jan. 31, 2014 / Photo by Roger Starkey

1610 Eastport Plaza Drive. The current U.S. Postal Service carrier annex will house Collinsville post office operations beginning Feb. 3. The front of the building has been remodeled to accommodate post office boxes and retail services / Photo by Roger Starkey

The void for uptown postal services will be partially filled by the FCB Banks location at 800 Beltline Road. In about 60 days, the branch will offer a scaled down version of the U.S. Postal Services retail operations, known as a Contract Postal Unit.

Services available at the CPU will include wrapping and weighing packages, as well as putting postage on packages. The services will be open to the public, not just FCB Banks customers.

FCB Banks Vice President Sandy Stammer said bank employees have been working with the U.S. Postal Service for training and to ensure the location within the bank complies with CPU regulations. The service was originally envisioned as a convenience for residents on the north side of Collinsville, Stammer said, but that changed recently.

“After it was announced that the uptown post office would close, it became a mission of necessity,” Stammer said.

The branch will not have post office boxes or provide postal money orders. Those services will be provided by the post office at its new location.

The building

The closure of the uptown post office has many residents wondering what will become of the building that has been a fixture at the corner of Center Street and Grove Avenue for 50 years.

The building’s owner, Nationwide Real Estate Inc. of Chicago, is searching for a new tenant or buyer sooner than expected. When contacted about plans for the building, a representative was surprised to learn that the post office was moving eight months before the 50-year lease on the building ends.

After contacting the U.S. Postal Service for confirmation that they were vacating the property, a spokesperson for Nationwide Real Estate said they are open to offers, but have not yet begun marketing the building.

Rumors abound that the City of Collinsville will purchase the building and turn it into a parking lot. The Uptown Master Plan and the City of Collinsville’s strategic plan both state a desire to create additional parking in uptown. The sudden availability of the 11,000 square-foot building and parking lot have put the parking lot rumors in overdrive.

City Manager Scott Williams said he has not discussed the purchase of the building, or plans for turning the space into a parking lot, with the City Council since the post office announced that it will move operations Friday. He is not sure when the topic will be discussed.

Another possible suitor is the Collinsville Area Ministerial Association’s Helping Hands Ministry. The food pantry has been looking for a new home for at least two years. David Amsden, of CAMA, said the post office building is one of several locations being considered.

“We are still in discussion with multiple facilities to look into ways to best serve our clients and our community,” Amsden said.

The food pantry has been located in the First United Presbyterian Church at 201 E. Church St. for 30 years. The pantry has outgrown the location, which is in the basement, making deliveries difficult.

Amsden said the food pantry has three criteria for its new location. It must be centrally located, accessible by bus and have ample space, without having too much space.

A U.S. Postal Service representative told the Collinsville City Council in June 2013 that the building was not in very good shape. Amsden said one of the benefits of the CAMA running the food pantry is that it can draw from the entrepreneurial resources of all member churches. These resources could be used, Amsden said, to make any needed repairs at a reasonable cost.

Nationwide Real Estate plans to begin marketing the property soon. However, with the building leased until September, Collinsville residents may not know what will become of 130 S. Center St. for many months.