SUU Post Office absorbing former Zions Bank space

The recent closing of the Zions Bank ATM in the Sharwan Smith Center has allowed for an expansion of the SUU Post Office.

Associate Vice President for Facilities Management David Tanner said Zion's Bank "found it wasn't effective for them" to have a branch on campus.

Zions Bank let their contract expire last month Tanner said.

The process of looking for space to expand the post office has been in the works for more than a year, Tanner said. SUU President Michael T. Benson has granted approval to go forward with the remodeling and expansion.

Post Office Manager Bruce Barclay said he is excited to have the additional space.

"We are one of the top producing CPO's (college post offices) in the state," Barclay said.

The expansion will cost about $50,000, Barclay said.

The pieces of bulk mail the post office sends for SUU has increased over the past two years, coinciding with a recruitment push, Barclay said. The post office currently handles approximately 1.2 million pieces of bulk mail per year for SUU.

The growth of the students' mail has also caused a strain on the small facilities, Barclay said.

The post office has 72 sites it must deliver mail to per day. Ten students and two full-time staff members handle all post office responsibilities.

Barclay said the Post Office is going to increase its workspace in order to cope with the growing campus and larger mail volume.

Four people work in roughly a 10-square-foot area; the rest of the space is occupied by equipment and packages.

During the holidays, the post office still receives student mail and much of it is not picked up. Barclay said the additional storage would help to clear the "3-foot walkway," which is lined with packages.

Barclay said the renovation would not include hiring new employees, although it will "provide a better place for them to work."

The expansion will allow for any new mailing equipment SUU may need in the future, Barclay said.

The expansion of SUU Housing & Residence Life will also increase the volume of mail going through the post office, Barclay said. The increase in housing would increase the number of boxes that must be serviced.

The post office expansion will not increase the cost of P.O. boxes for students.

The use of in-house teams for construction will enable the office to continue with minimal interruption of services, Tanner said. Building Maintenance Manager Ben Johnson and Utility Services Manager Tiger Funk will oversee the construction.

"We will probably have to have people come to the counter to receive mail," Barclay said.

Mail will still be available for all post office customers, and at no time will mail service be stopped.

"This week they're beginning … selective demolition," Tanner said.

The former Zions Bank ATM location will be hollowed out in order for P.O. boxes and storage to be put in, he said.

Tanner said he estimated the Zions Bank portion of the renovation to be completed in about six weeks. This will include the production of a new front counter and bay of P.O. boxes.

GIS/CAD Specialist Tyson Kyhl is in charge of the production of plans for the post office.

"We have to keep a partnership with them (SUU Post Office employees) to keep schedules going so they can deliver the mail," Kyhl said.

An additional six weeks will be needed in order to complete remodeling of the existing portion of the post office.

The post office project was originally part of a "capital improvement request," Tanner said.

The request would not have been considered until July 1 and the timing worked better now, he said.