‘We regret the delay, but progress is being made’: The latest update on the Longs post office

LONGS, S.C. (WMBF) - In just a few months, it will be two years since the Longs Post Office burned down. The fire happened in June 2021, and since then residents have used a temporary post office on wheels, and a row of mailboxes for customers who rent P.O. Boxes.

“What’s taking so long is my reaction,” said Shirley Medlin, a longtime resident.

Medlin said she can’t complete all of her postal business in the temporary van, so she often has to travel to another location further away.

“It’s not convenient at all, especially with all of the growth around here,” said Medlin.

The growth Medlin mentions is the new developments under construction bringing new houses and people to the Longs area.

Jerre Olson had just moved to Longs six months before the fire and is wondering why construction has not started yet.

“It doesn’t look like a post office to me, it’s just an empty lot. I would rather have a nice facility to come to,” said Olson.

Currently, the bushes which were high and thick not so long ago, have been cut down. But as far as actual construction there is none.

“The post office said because we’re getting more people, they’re not going to put a bigger one in, they are going to make it the same size. Last year they said the funding was there, they are just waiting,” said a postal service customer.

WMBF News reached out to the United States Post Office for an on-camera interview, which was declined. Instead, Debra Jean Fetterly, USPS Spokesperson, South Carolina District provided the following statement:

“The Postal Service continues to work toward a solution regarding the rebuilding of the Longs Post Office at 50 Highway 9 E in Longs, SC 29568. We regret the delay, but progress is being made to restore the facility. In the interim, customers may continue to conduct retail transactions at the mobile van parked on the Longs Post Office property. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Postal Service also has cluster box units on the property to serve Post Office Box customers. They may pick up their mail seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Mail and package delivery service has continued without interruption since the fire that damaged the Longs Post Office. The Postal Service appreciates its customers and thanks them for their patience as we work on a resolution to restore the facility to the community.”

“There is a lot of people out here and we deserve to have a post office. This is really inconvenient for us to have to take our big boxes into town,” said another postal service customer.

Another customer who did not want to be identified said she has lived in Longs her entire life and questions why it’s taken so long.

“This is crazy, I’ve been asking since last year and was told spring. Spring has sprung and we still don’t have a post office,” she said.

For now, there is no estimated time construction would start or be completed.

WMBF News has reached out to Horry County Fire Rescue to see if the cause of the fire has been determined. The department said the cause of the fire is part of a federal investigation and the results would have to come from them.

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