Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — An upgrade to the steps and handicap ramp at the local post office is nearing completion, with work expected to be finished by the end of the year.
Renovations that began over the summer to reconstruct the entrance steps and ramp, to include a feature to help reduce ice buildup during cold weather, was finished this fall. But plans were put on hold when the hand railings were determined to not meet historical guidelines. A special order had to be placed, causing the latest delay in construction.
“The hand rails were ordered late in October, right after we received approval from the Maine Historical Society,” said Tom Rizzo, spokesman for the Northern New England District of the U.S. Postal Service, serving Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Rizzo said because the rails were not the type that are mass produced, the manufacturer had to cast them individually, a process that required more time.
“These are not stock rails and had to be custom-made. The manufacturer is well into the late stages of production. They (the rails) are due to arrive in late December. When they arrive, they’ll be installed within one week,” explained Rizzo.
The upgrade won’t be in place to assist this year’s holiday rush, which has left postal patrons having to wait on occasion to access the ramp, as others carrying packages made their way to the building’s entrance. It should, however, be done before the brunt of winter’s snow has fallen.
Rumors had started to spread through the city that the delay was brought about by the local historical society. However, it was the state organization that set the guidelines for the type of hand rails the post office could use.
“The Presque Isle Historical Society didn’t make the request. It was made at the state level by the Maine Historical Society,” said Kim Smith, treasurer and recording secretary for the Presque Isle Historical Society. “There’s been some confusion and we want to clarify that it was not the local organization causing the delay.”
