The Herman Post Office in Summit Township, has been closed since mid-April 2024. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

Local government is at its best when officials listen to residents and then act on what they’re told.

That’s exactly what’s been happening as Summit Township deals with the ongoing closure of the Herman Post Office.

The post office closed in April 2024, after flooding damaged the building. Since then, residents with P.O. Boxes have had to travel to Butler to check their mail.

More than a year without a post office has rightfully upset some residents, and a few weeks ago they brought their concerns to the Summit Township board of supervisors.

And as we learned in the Thursday, May 22, edition of the Butler Eagle, the supervisors and the township secretary have worked to find answers.

Roxanne Stickney, township secretary, said she’d talked with Butler County Commissioner Kim Geyer, the leasing department for the U.S. Postal Service and the USPS regional director’s office about the closure, and while there isn’t a resolution yet, there is more information available about what can be done.

Geyer has written to U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., about the issue, and the Butler postmaster suggested the possibility of a cluster mailbox as a solution for P.O. Box holders. While nothing’s certain yet, the supervisors, and especially Stickney, deserve recognition for their work so far.

Stickney sees what she’s doing as standing up for the community.

“We’re just a little tiny community, and I feel like we’re being forgotten about, because we’re so small in the big scheme of things,” she said. “It’s not right.”

It’s an example of dedication and service for other municipal officials to follow.

— JK