State Budget Affects Postal Service A Shift In Positions To Consolidate Services
MUNCY – No, there aren’t two Maggie Magagna’s, in case anyone has seen her as postmaster at both the Hughesville and Muncy Post Offices. As of Saturday, August 29, Magagna will officially be the postmaster for the Muncy Post Office announced Peggy Krauter, acting supervisor. There has been a vacancy since February upon the former postmaster having been deceased. She has been covering both locations since mid March and was postmaster at the Hughesville location for six years. She will continue to cover the Hughesville location until the end of September when the new fiscal year begins October 1. After that time, Magagna will be permanently placed at the Muncy Post Office. “I will have 24 employees at Muncy and there are ten employees at Hughesville.”
Staff changes-
Lance Savidge will be Officer In Charge after October 1 at the Hughesville Post Office. Bill Bucher from Muncy will be going to Unityville Post Office as an OIC (Officer In Charge). Donny Breneisen who is Postmaster of Unityville will be retiring as of September 1.
Muncy has also added a new Sales and Service Associate, Jamal Blue who arrived here on August 17 from Cleveland, Ohio. Blue has spent twelve years as a federal employee with the post office and in order to find another position at his level, he had to come this far to find it after Cleveland downsized some of their locations. “The Post Office will do anything to help an employee find another position,” said Magagna. “When someone retires, they will shift someone from another location rather than let them go. No one is hardly ever laid off, even though the quantity of mail has dropped considerably.” Blue said this was his 37th job he applied for at his seniority level. The Postal Service helped him acquire his position in Muncy. He was granted a moving relocation allowance. “Janul was well fit for the job. The Post Office will place people already hired because they are already trained,” added Magagna.
Jamul Blue has been staying with John Fave, maintenance supervisor for the Muncy Post office. “I offered to give him a place to stay until he found a house because the hotel rooms were so expensive due to Little League,” said Fave who has worked at the Muncy location for twenty five years. Blue had been staying at a local hotel for two weeks when he first arrived. “I like this rural town,” said Blue. “The people here are so friendly and made me feel welcome. These farming areas are so nice.” His family will join him October 15 as they move into their permanent residence in Picture Rocks.
Because there has been a huge loss in millions of pieces of mail due mostly to the banking crisis according to staff, some of the routes have been consolidated and made shorter. There are more deliveries for existing carriers. A few substitutes have been hired to cover the more rural routes. “We are not losing anything or any employees,” said Magnano. “Just the mail.”
The staff would like all customers to come in and introduce themselves. “We’re like family here,” said Fave. The Post Office is open every day except Sundays and the lobby is stocked with supplies for shipping. The PO box section is open from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. to access mail.