By CASSANDRA MICKENS/Associate Editor

NORTH SHELBY — New service hours at the Vandiver Post Office will take effect July 26.

The new hours will be 8 a.m. to noon Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturdays, according to a news release issued by the United States Postal Service June 13. The Vandiver Post Office is currently open for eight hours on weekdays and three hours on Saturdays. The reduction in hours is part of the USPS POST Plan to reduce operations costs.

“Current Saturday window service hours will not be reduced and access to delivery receptacles will not change as a result of the POST Plan realignment of weekday window service hours,” the news release reads.

“Customers will have access to their mail receptacles 24 hours a day and Post Office Box mail will be available daily for pick-up by 10 a.m. Monday-Friday, and at 10 a.m. on Saturday.”

Vandiver residents gathered at the Vandiver-Sterrett Senior Center for a standing-room only community meeting June 5 to discuss the future of the post office. Residents voted to shorten post office hours, as per a survey distributed to 460 residents five weeks ago. Others called for the hours to remain as is, but maintaining hours was not listed as a survey option.

During the community meeting, residents expressed their concern about the post office possibly closing its doors and the threat of moving carriers and post office boxes from Vandiver to nearby Sterrett.

Willie Trawick, manager of post office operations in the Alabama District, said in a previous report that the Vandiver Post Office will have a performance review every two years to determine whether to reduce hours further or extend hours.