Maple Hill residents concerned over potential post office closure

MAPLE HILL, NC (WWAY) — Concerns are growing in Maple Hill over the potential closure of the community’s post office, with residents being notified that postal services could soon move nearly 17 miles away to Burgaw.

Residents received a letter from the U.S. Postal Service informing them that the Maple Hill Post Office on N.C. Highway 50 is scheduled to close effective Sept. 25.

If the closure moves forward, all postal services currently offered in Maple Hill would be relocated to the Burgaw Post Office, nearly 17 miles away.

Maple Hill resident Leslie Green said the additional distance would be a major inconvenience and could affect how often he uses postal services.

“I have to, that’s 20 miles, 20 miles, most definitely,” Green said. “All I can tell you, it’s a great inconvenience, it’s a great inconvenience, that’s all I can say. And we need help, we need to get this thing solved one way or the other.”

Pender County Commissioner Jimmy Tate said he is concerned about how the closure could affect Maple Hill residents, particularly seniors and people with lower incomes who may have difficulty traveling to Burgaw.

“I’m devastated to learn about Maple Hill Post Office potentially closing for their postal service,” Tate said. “Many of those residents are seniors and people who are on low income and driving 15 miles just to get their mail would be a major disaster for them.”

Tate said he reached out to U.S. Rep. David Rouzer’s office Wednesday to determine what options may be available to prevent the closure.

Tate also plans to place the issue on the agenda for an upcoming Pender County Board of Commissioners meeting, where commissioners can discuss the potential closure and possible next steps.

The proposed closure comes as residents and county officials work to determine whether the Maple Hill community can keep its local postal services rather than having to travel to Burgaw.