Thursday, July 16, 2015
Lyme — Officials with the U.S. Postal Service have temporarily closed the post office in downtown Lyme because of a “rodent issue,” spokesman Steve Doherty said on Wednesday.
“In the interest of public and employee safety, over-the-counter stamp and package sales along with pickup service for all 216 post office lobby boxes are being temporarily relocated,” the postal service said in a written statement on Wednesday.
The Lyme post office, located at 5 Main St., is housed in a building with several other businesses, including Stella’s Italian Kitchen and Market, Lyme Home and Hardware and Ledyard National Bank. According to the statement, the post office leases space in the building .
The post office branch manager and the landlord of the building have been working to resolve the issue, Doherty said, which he described as rats in the post office.
He said exterminating companies have come in and “tried things,” but as of Wednesday, post office officials made the decision to close the location. It was unclear on Wednesday when the post office would reopen.
Residents who use the post office, which sits off Route 10, can pick up their mail at the nearby Lyme Center post office at 181 Dorchester Road. Mail delivery to street addresses will not be affected, the release said.
Several attempts to reach the owner and manager of Stella’s were unsuccessful. The restaurant was open Wednesday night, an employee who answered the phone said.
A manager at the hardware store could not be reached on Wednesday evening; the bank was closed for the day.
— Jordan Cuddemi