After more than four years of discussion and construction, Stacyville's new post office is up and running.

Postmaster Diane Howland says the post office needed a new building because the old facility, which was leased by the post office, needed repairs and was not handicap accessible.

The post office moved into the new building June 25, after years of experiencing "some stumbling blocks," Howland says. Locally, a decision about where the new building would go had to be made. When it was decided to put the new post office next to the old one, they had to consult the historical society because an old building between the old site and the new one needed to be torn down. Then the Iowa Department of Natural Resources needed to approved the plans for the new building because it was going to be put in a flood plain.

Finally, all the stumbling blocks were overcome and the pre-built building provided by the U.S. Postal Service was brought in and established.

Howland calls the new building "wonderful … the layout is better for sorting mail, it's cleaner and it smells better." She adds the lobby of the building is now open 24 hours a day so people who work can come in the evenings or weekends to check their post office boxes for mail.

Another change has been the switch from combination post office boxes to key-and-lock boxes. Howland says "it's been an adjustment" for many to remember their keys because they've been so used to the combination locks.

One customer making the adjustment is Irene Hemman of Stacyville. She says remembering the keys for her post office box has been a challenge, but the new building is an improvement over the old one. "The boxes are different, too," she adds. "I think they're a little taller and not as wide, but longer. That makes it easier for the post office workers to put more mail in there, I think."

Howland says a grand opening will be held "hopefully within the next month," but she hasn't set a date yet.

She also says a new business will go into the old post office "so it won't be an empty building on Main Street," which should be a relief to many people in town.

Amanda L. Rohde can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at amanda.rohde@austindailyherald.com