Coral Bay residents got a glimpse Tuesday morning of something they've been waiting a long time to see when a U.S. Postal Service mobile unit pulled into town.
The first stop was the old vehicle stand once used by a mobile health clinic. Postal worker Jackie Clendinen, herself a Coral Bay resident, helped a co-worker guide the van through the frame, testing it for fit and for where the drop-leaf counter would meet the steps that customers will use.
Clendinen said the mobile unit arrived on island about two weeks ago. Once postal officials set the days and hours of operation, residents on the eastern end of the island will be able to buy stamps and money orders and drop off all priorities of mail for delivery. "They're trying to work out if it's going to be on a daily basis," she said.
Minutes after the van stopped by the Coral Bay Fire Station, curious residents and visitors approached. Two strolling workers from the Guy Benjamin Elementary School stopped by to say hello. Island visitors Betsy Drummond and her mother, Judy, pulled up in their rented car to ask directions to Miss Lucy's Restaurant.
Drummond said she grew up on St. John, where her mother ran the Patio Bakery and Coffee Shop. They hadn't seen Lucy Smith in 25 years and were looking forward to a reunion.
The elder woman said she has noticed many changes on the island since the last time she was here. Her daughter said she was happy to see the postal van. "Everything in town is so crowded," she said. "There's 25 people in line at the post office. I just saw this and said, ‘Thank God!'"
Clendinen smiled and said she wasn't set up to sell Drummond 20 postcard stamps this day but offered to carry her postcards back to the Cruz Bay post office on her return trip.
Postal officials have been saying for several years that demands for service from a growing community and business sector have surpassed the capacity of the island's lone post office. There are plans to move that facility to larger quarters, with a temporary move set for the end of June.
