ELWOOD — The plan to reduce operating hours for the Elwood Post Office was challenged by several Elwood residents Monday afternoon.

The estimated 150 people filled the Gosper County Senior Center listened quietly as Todd Case of Grand Island explain why the U.S. Postal Service is struggling to balance revenues and costs.

Carlton Clark, a lifelong resident of Elwood, rose to say, “I question the criteria used for the 68937 ZIP code in reducing our service.”

He named federal and state offices that are in Elwood and pointed out that the village is a county seat.

“You need to look at Johnson Lake with its permanent population as part of 68937, then take a serious look at this community and what it’s done,” he said.

He pointed to the Elwood Hometown Market cooperative grocery store saying, “We raised the money needed so we could have a full-time grocery. We also need a full-time post office.”

He accused the postal service of workplace bullying by its refusal to permit hiring a part-time clerk to replace another who retired.

The crowd applauded when Clark sat down. Many people then peppered Case, a program specialist, with questions and criticism.

Case said the post office would be open from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays with a lunch break from 11:30 to noon and from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Saturdays. He said those hours could be subject to change.

Delivery service would not change, Case said.

The post office is now open from 7:45 to 11:30 a.m., and from 1-4 p.m.

The total hours the postal window would be open would be reduced from 35 hours and 15 minutes each week to 31½ hours a week, but the shorter afternoon hours and the fear of further cuts seemed most troubling to those who spoke.

Case said the postal service is struggling, and the business model created in 1970 when the U.S. Congress reorganized it as a separate entity no longer works. He attributed the problem to increased competition from the Internet, competing delivery services and people paying bills online.

Case described various cutbacks in operations that have been taken to gain a balance between revenues and expenses.

Elwood residents put up fight about postal hours changing