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| Parkrose Post Office combines both old, new KARYN-LYNN FISETTE FOR THE MID-COUNTY MEMO As Parkrose continues to grow and change, some things do remain the same: mail carriers, for instance, and the relationships they form with their customers, whether in residential neighborhoods, commercial or a mix of the two. Most folks get to know their carriers on the street, when they see the mail truck stop by their home, when they rush out to grab a long-awaited letter or package. But as much, if not more, goes into the work of a carrier inside the walls of the post office. The Parkrose Post Office is a busy station, but it is a desirable station to do business in, according to customers. Standing in line on a recent Friday morning, one woman said she travels from the east end of Gresham each week to mail items she’s sold in her e-Bay store. “Parkrose is more convenient than Gresham, believe it or not,” she said. “And friendlier.” Another customer says he could buy stamps from an automated machine in the lobby, but can’t see the sense in “missing an opportunity to have human contact, in this day and age.” The station is full of employees with a similar attitude, and is staffed primarily by postal workers with seniority-some with as many as 34 years on the job-and seemingly unlimited passion for their work. In the back room, or “clerk operation,” out of the customers’ view, the thunderous rumble of pumpkin colored carts coasting across the slick floor is deafening. Under rows of fluorescent lights, men and women dressed in royal blue, gray blue, baby blue and comfy shoes dart from one corner of the vast warehouse-like space to another, wheeling the large, orange tubs overflowing with letters, flats, parcels and packages of all shapes, sizes and colors. Amidst the collecting, sorting and stacking of mail, one gets the impression he or she has entered another world, a world not so different from an ant colony in its self-directed and precisely choreographed organization. Here, efficiency, accuracy of delivery, consistency of delivery, and wait-time in line are all top priorities.
After nine years of service as a mail carrier in the Portland area, and 13 as a supervisor, Larson became Post Mistress at the Parkrose Post Office in August 2005. Unlike several short-term supervisors who preceded her, Larson says she intends to stick around. Her position is one of authority, but also of great responsibility. She oversees 69 full-time and three part-time employees. She hosts weekly staff meetings and ensures 48 mail routes in zip codes 97220, 97230 and 97294 are covered six days a week. Most importantly, she guarantees delivery of 90,000 pieces of pre-processed mail-and an additional 60 to 100 feet of hand-processed mail-on time, six days a week. Larson points in the direction of a towering metal shelving unit lined with measuring tape. Much of the mail that passes through the Parkrose office is measured here on these shelves, by hand, by employees who, in some cases, arrive at the station at 3:30 a.m., ready and waiting for truckloads of mail to pour into the facility. “Parkrose is a fast-growing community, and so there are always changes in the neighborhoods and then, of course, here at the post office,” Larson said. “The one constant in this line of work is change, whether that means advances in technology or something as simple as a carrier’s route needing to be adjusted to reflect a new apartment building or business in the area.” Parkrose is indeed growing, like many of Portland’s outlying neighborhoods. The busy stretch of Northeast 122nd Avenue where the post office now sits was once known for acres of farmland. Today, apartment and condominium complexes and industrial parks have replaced farmhouses that once occupied nearby Sandy Boulevard. Tightly packed low- and middle-income residential and commercial neighborhoods make up much of the Parkrose Post Office delivery area. All this is framed by a grid of suburban sprawl, fast food restaurants, a K-Mart, Goodwill, and the occasional garden supply store or produce stand.
Thompson arrives at the station at 8 a.m. every day. As a utility carrier, she is often assigned multiple routes, while most of her colleagues cover only one. “Even when you have a regular route,” she said, “there’s no such thing as a typical day.” Brushing a strand of reddish-blonde hair out of her face, she points to the place where she begins her work: the dock. The dock is “P.O. jargon” for the parking lot, Thompson explains. “The first thing you do when you arrive is check to make sure your truck starts. That’s typical.” For the next hour and half to two hours, Thompson loads her cart and sorts the mail she’s in charge of delivering. Fifteen minutes is all it takes for her to then load that mail into her truck and take off on a six-hour-long “park and loop” during which she will hand-deliver as many as 2,000 pieces of mail per day. “I enjoy getting to know my customers,” Thompson said. “I like to park my truck and walk. In certain conditions, it might take longer, depending on the weather or the amount of mail, but it’s important to me to make those connections, to be available when someone wants to ask a question, or just to talk for a few minutes.” Larson, who worked as a carrier for many years, and whose husband, Dan, recently retired from his position as mail carrier, is of the same mind. While she is enjoying every moment of her new post in Parkrose, she said, “I do miss being out on the street. I miss walking through the neighborhoods and dealing with customers, but at the same time, I like the people I work with back here in the office just as much. We’re a great team.” For more information about the Parkrose Post Office, please stop by 4048 Northeast 122nd Ave., visit www.USPS.com or call 503-251-0652. |
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