City of Poplarville seeing issues with mail
ROY HOWARD COMMUNITY JOURNALISM CENTER- Millions of packages were being delivered across the country during the holiday season.
In Poplarville, residents say what hasn’t been delivered is a promise, four years in the making for a post office.
Mikaya Jackson with the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center shows us the impact.
Outside the mobile post office in the heart of Poplarville, packages sit on the pavement. “Our postal workers are still having to put the packages outside on the ground to sort them to put them in their vehicles to deliver it.”
This temporary unit across from the courthouse has served as the town’s post office for nearly four years — ever since the original building closed because of structural damage in early 2022.
Carol Williams says the conditions are hard on residents — but even harder on the workers tasked with keeping mail moving. “It’s so frustrating for us, but it’s even more frustrating for those postal workers. This is, this is cruel and inhuman working conditions they’re in.”
City officials previously confirmed construction on a new post office at 935 South Main Street was scheduled to begin in October and finish in April.
But as of December, residents say no visible progress has been made at the site.
Former Pearl River County Supervisor Hudson Holliday says what was expected to be a short-term closure quickly became a long-term problem. “It’s more than just we need a building.”
He says early confusion over who had authority to move the project forward caused initial delays.
Now, he says, only shopping has added new pressure to an already strained system. “This is not politics. This is a business decision.”
Mayor Louise Smith says she received confirmation from a U.S. Postal Service project manager about the construction back in September and has continued requesting updates as delays stretch on.
For now, residents say they plan to keep documenting what’s happening — hoping the growing plies of packages finally lead to progress.
