Matinicus Island has been without a physical post office since the accidental fire that destroyed the existing historic structure in April 2008.

Over the summer, mail has been picked up and delivered by island postal service staff. Since last spring, numerous ideas have been suggested for a post office location, and a couple of island residents have offered the use of their property for an interim office if needed. For several months, islanders expected a temporary office trailer to be delivered to Matinicus. That plan somehow fell through.

Now, as the busy summer season ends, the island children are back in school, and the wild rosebushes turn a brilliant red, the sound of a hammer will be heard coming from a structure known to the locals as “the parsonage.” This substantial old house, located in the middle of the island, home to volunteer summer ministers and, frequently, the schoolteachers, will soon also contain…a new Matinicus Post Office.

This summer, the Trustees of the Congregational Church of Matinicus, which owns the building, offered a portion of the parsonage as a possible post office site.  The parsonage is in need of some renovation anyway, but without a reliable rental income it was difficult to make plans for such work.

Postmaster Wanda Philbrook commented recently, as she handed over my letters from a large table in her home, “I will be very happy to have a real office again, and to get back to having everything more organized, a proper routine.” She also assures postal customers that “stamps by mail” are still available, as are other post office services.

Although some islanders had other hopes for where the post office would eventually go, and though admittedly many will miss the harborside location of the old facility, everybody is glad to see progress toward a convenient and long-term location. “I’m just awfully glad we’re going to have something,” commented Postal Relief Clerk Cynthia Young, as she stepped into an island kitchen to deliver bills, newspapers, books-by-mail, necessary mechanical parts, and the ubiquitous armload of catalogs. “I won’t miss going door-to-door!” Over the summer, more and more island driveways have sprouted traditional RFD mailboxes, something never seen before on Matinicus.

Church Trustee and Town Historian Suzanne Rankin explained that the mission of the island church “is to help the community in any way that it can.” More a multi-purpose neighborhood organization than a strictly religious institution, the island church “had this building sitting there, which needed work anyway, and we asked ourselves, why not see if the town thought that was a desirable option?” Together, the plantation officials and the church trustees made a proposal to the U.S. Postal Service; of at least five proposed sites, the parsonage was selected as the most convenient, cost-effective and simple.

The plan for the building is to turn the roadside half of the lower floor into a secure, handicapped-accessible, and comfortable post office, with a lobby area, locked office, half-bath for staff and side freight door with ramp. After the post office is up and running, and as funds are available, work will continue on the building to include improvements to the heating system, needed overhaul of the existing bathroom and kitchen, and repairs to upstairs rooms.

This will make an entirely separate apartment for summer ministers and others who may use the space…usually teachers for our one-room school, but boat-building instructors, visiting musicians, and others have also stayed in the parsonage. “We are conscious of the need for the ministers or whoever to have their privacy,” said Rankin. “They don’t need to feel like they’re living right in the post office.”

Rankin also explained that the Matinicus Plantation will not expend any taxpayer money for the new facility. The church trustees expect to apply for some assistance from the Matinicus Community Development Trust Fund, hopefully contributing back into that fund later. This special fund was created earlier this year with money donated by artist Bo Bartlett and other contributors.

As of this writing, the trustees are waiting for the required zoning variance to be issued by the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC), as all property except the harbor area on Matinicus is presently zoned for residential use. (Matinicus is a Plantation and as such has no local zoning board.) Trustee Maurice Colton explained that LURC staffers have inspected the site and plans, and acknowledge that everything is in compliance. Work will begin as soon as all needed paperwork is in hand, and should proceed rapidly; this community is eager for its post office.

Opening day has yet to be announced, but Colton and Rankin anticipate it will be later this fall.