Monday, May 23, 2011

Don't sit and wait, keep Daisy post office in news

Nestled behind the trees and up the hill from the hustle and bustle of Hwy. 280 sits what some might call the best kept secret in the state of Georgia, if not, at least in Evans County – the city of Daisy.

The community has a community room, many homes, two churches, a fire station, an old train caboose and a post office. It has a mayor, Inman Brown, Jr., and an active city council. The community may consist of no more than 125 ro 200 people, or so says the census of 2000, but those people prove that size really doesn't matter.

Especially when there is concern about something you care about – like the community's historic post office. Housed in a building owned and maintained by the City of Daisy – Mayor Brown sees to repairs and such – the Daisy Post Office houses the mail boxes of most of the citizens and offers personalized service as Officer in Charge, and Daisy native, Jill Dowd, takes care of her customers – her neighbors and family.

The post office in Daisy has pretty much stayed in the same location since the community – the eldest in Evans County – was settled in 1890 – then it was a part of Tattnall County. It was housed a few doors down from its current location at first.

Most of the current citizens have not known a life without the post office, which has been an integral part of the community. It has served not only as a post office, but also a gathering place as neighbors discuss life, make plans, and even in the last few years for the mayor's dog, Miss Daisy, to hang out around too.

Almost a month ago, the mayor received word that the United States Postal Service, in its efforts to cut back and save money, was conducting feasibility studies across the board in regards to rural community post offices and if it is necessary to have them.

Inman Brown got very concerned when he was asked to find a meeting place for citizens to come and talk to the postal officers in regards to this situation. The local newspaper, The Claxton Enterprise, was contacted as were the area television stations. The Claxton-Evans County Chamber of Commerce got wind of the forum and began sending out notices about the meeting.

Brown was told that the post office was not closing, but the USPS was considering options. Brown's first thoughts were of the recent closings of rural post offices in the state of Georgia and in Alabama. The communities have about shut down.

“I don't want us to lose our identity,” Brown said.

It was a standing-room only forum for the meeting – something that seemed to surprise the USPS postal communications officer, Nancy Ross, who took issue with the headline in The Claxton Enterprise - “It says Daisy post office may have to close, that is misleading.”

After fifteen minutes into the meeting, it was evident from Ross' own presentation that the headline wasn't misleading, for Ross couldn't even say if the post office was going to close or not.

Citizens left the forum feeling quite uncomfortable. There were citizens from all over Evans County at the forum to lend support. Mayor Brown and his wife, Carolyn, on their own, visited residents in Daisy and had them sign a petition in regards to keeping the post office open and they contacted state and national representatives.
Ironically, those representatives informed the Browns that the USPS officials told them that the Daisy post office was only a part of the study, and that there was no affirmation that it would close.

But the Browns still were unsure, and have continued their efforts to keep the post office in Daisy in the limelight, enlisting help from a freelance writer and the community to get the word out and keep the post office in the news.

There is a website at http://daisygeorgia.blogspot.com and also a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/daisygeorgia1890

The outcry now is, “Don't let the Daisy post office be a victim of the USPS study! Let your voice be heard!” People are encouraged to write letters to the editor, contact the television stations in the area, share their memories and photos about the Daisy post office by emailing daisygeorgia2011@gmail.com.

Let's don't sit around and wait for something to happen.