The former Herman Post Office in Summit Township has been closed since April 2024 due to flooding damage. Butler Eagle File Photo

While the Herman Post Office remains closed, the community it serves has been placed on a United States Postal Service carrier route for the first time ever.

Township secretary Roxann Stickney said the news was announced at a board of supervisors meeting Wednesday, Aug. 6. She also said that while residents once again have a convenient way of getting mail, efforts to bring a post office back are still ongoing.

“(USPS officials) are still looking into the post office and they’re still going to do that study on whether it’s feasible or not to have one here,” Stickney said.

She said before the Herman Post Office closed in April 2024, residents still had to travel to the office to collect their mail from P.O. Boxes. Now, residents can either set up a mailbox on their property or get a P.O. Box at either the Butler or East Butler post offices.

“This is entirely brand new for us over here,” Stickney said. “It’s really been a community effort.”

The previous post office originally closed its doors in April 2024 after sustaining flood damage. In the immediate aftermath, no timetable for returning service was provided by Postal Service officials, leaving customers to make a five-mile drive to the Butler office.

Earlier this year, after no updates from the Postal Service and an outcry from residents, Stickney began to reach out to different local officials and directly communicated with different regional representatives.

Currently, the Postal Service is expected to perform an economic feasibility study to determine if opening a post office in the location is viable.

If plans move forward, the former location will not be used. Township and fire department officials instead submitted the Herman fire station for consideration as a temporary location.

She said in addition to help from elected officials like county Commissioner Kim Geyer, she also received extensive support from community members. Even after residents were informed they were placed on a route, they rallied to make sure mailboxes would be up in time.