T-L Photo/DYLAN MCKENZIE Cadiz Mayor Ken Zitko, left, talks with Congressman Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, on Monday. The two officials have been working to help secure a temporary post office for the village, which has been without a physical office since early September.

The village of Cadiz is preparing for a new temporary post office, an establishment that is eagerly awaited by community officials and residents alike.

The postal woes began for Cadiz over the summer, as the front wall of the former post office building was found to be separating from the structure’s foundation and sinking into the ground. This forced customers to go around to the side of the building for services, rather than walking in the front door. A geological survey of the site found empty spaces beneath the foundation; these voids to further structural damage, with cracks forming throughout the building’s walls and floors. At the beginning of September, the U.S. Postal Service made the decision to close the building for the safety of employees and customers.

Ever since, residents who are not using home delivery have had to drive several miles to nearby Jewett to send and receive letters and packages, as well as to take advantage of other postal retail services.

Ever since the post office closed, Mayor Ken Zitko and Cadiz Village Council have been working alongside the Cadiz Community Improvement Corp. and other local officials to try and find a temporary solution to the issue. Congressman Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, and his office also got involved, as the USPS is partially a federal organization. Johnson has been working with post office officials to help speed along the process, as he believes that the seat of Harrison County shouldn’t be without a dedicated post office.

“We got engaged and expressed interest to let them know we need a post office in Cadiz,” Johnson said.

Thanks to the efforts of Johnson, Zitko and others, the postal service has begun the process of bringing a temporary post office to the village. Johnson said the temporary site will feature a modular building unit, but it will have the capabilities of any regular post office, including post office boxes and mailing letters and packages. The temporary site will be located at 730 Peppard Ave. at the site of the Harrison Hills City School District administrative offices; Zitko said the school district is leasing the space to the post office. The space next to the school building will need some preparation, such as a concrete base for the modular building, and both Zitko and Johnson were optimistic that construction would begin in a week or so.

The mayor said he is thankful to get at least this far, knowing what a burden it is to some not having easy access to a post office in the village.

“It’s good to have a temporary post office for the citizens,” Zitko said, adding that he “appreciates everything (Johnson) has done to speed this along.”

Zitko said the next step will be trying to locate a permanent site for a new post office building. He said the village has looked at several locations but all plans are still “very preliminary.”