A post office in Party Town

MONTROSE — Local U.S. Postal Service customers — especially those filing taxes on deadline — have an alternative to the busy downtown Montrose office, as Party Town in Oxbow Crossing recently installed a contract postal unit.

“I think it’ll improve the wait time in line and I think it’ll allow us to provide (improved) customer service,” Montrose Postmaster Nick Morgan said.

He said the main office at 321 South First Street sought a CPU for the past two years, as it’s one of the busier offices on the Western Slope. The unit in Party Town, at 1521 Oxbow Drive, Suite 120, offers all services available at the main office except passports, money orders and post office boxes.

Party Town has been open two years; the postal unit opened Wednesday, with a grand opening planned for about May 1. Store owner Ken Underwood said he heard of the main office’s desire to open the CPU and decided it would be an “interesting addition” to the store.

“When the post office looked at it they set out a geographical area and said, ‘This is the ideal place to have one,’ they referred not to the store specifically but this geographical area,” Underwood said. “And we’re smack dab in the middle of that geographical area.”

He has four staff members — two part-time and two full-time — who will be trained to handle postal needs. He said business has increased in the past two years, and that he expects it to further improve with the added services.

“This end of town, contrary to a lot of peoples’ opinion, is now becoming pretty much the commercial center of Montrose,” Underwood said.

At the main office, Morgan said he sometimes receives complaints that there isn’t sufficient parking available. He said people may be expecting a parking situation similar to Wal-Mart, but that the parking lot east of that office is available for customers.

“I just had one (complaint) the other day, looked out the window and pointed to four empty spots,” he said.

Morgan said the main office will soon have signs in the lot designating spaces for postal customers. Parking is also available along Townsend Avenue.

He said the post office advises folks filing taxes in the next week to heed the signs at the main office designating where “they can prepare their stuff before they get to the clerk.”

Contact Robert Allen at roberta@montrosepress.com