New post office on the way to serve Big Cove, Hampton Cove but site remains a mystery

A new U.S. Post Office is on the way to the Big Cove-Owens Cross Roads area, but the U.S. Postal Service has not disclosed the location, U.S. Rep. Dale Strong’s office told AL.com on Wednesday.

The location also remains a mystery to Huntsville city officials.

“We know they are looking for a site.” Huntsville City Councilman David Little said at a town hall meeting in east Huntsville on Tuesday night. “They won’t tell us anything.”

He said Urban and Economic Director Shane Davis has been in contact with Strong multiple times about the issue.

Bill Binkley, a member of the Cove Area Citizens Action Group, said he had received a letter from Strong’s office that an environmental assessment was being conducted, which Strong’s office confirmed with AL.com.

Davis said the environmental assessment is not being done through the city. He also said he didn’t believe the Postal Service will disclose the site to Strong until after the assessment is done.

Residents in the Big Cove area and Owens Cross Roads area have advocated for a new post office because they say the U.S. Post Office in Owens Cross Roads is overwhelmed handling the load because of the population growth east of the mountain. They felt the situation would only get worse if nothing was done.

Strong sent a letter addressing the concerns to U.S. Postmaster General Louis Dejoy. According to Strong’s letter, the current post office opened in 1861.

In his letter to Dejoy, Strong said the existing post office in Owens Cross Roads does not have the capacity to efficiently or securely process and deliver mail to the entire 35763 zip code.

“The facility was designed to serve the rural Town of Owens Cross Roads, not the growing population in the Hampton Cove community, which lies in the metropolitan footprint of the City of Huntsville,” the congressman wrote.

Big Cove residents cite statistics from Owens Cross Roads Postmaster Naylor Oscar that the post office handles 4,500 packages Monday through Friday. On Sundays, it handles between 2,000 and 2,500 packages from Amazon and other companies.

Mail is sorted outside after being delivered from Birmingham, including in the rain, residents said. In addition to having packages lost or damaged, residents reported having their mail delivered late at night.

Dylan Smith, a representative from Strong’s office, said at an earlier town hall meeting some residents were receiving mail three to five days late. He says Strong’s office has been dealing with dozens upon dozens of issues with the post office since Strong took office in January 2023.

Binkley said Big Cove Residents don’t fault the post office staff for the problems, saying they do their best with the resources they have.

See story: Huntsville’s Big Cove residents want their own post office, zip code – al.com