The Vermont League of Cities and Towns is thrilled to announce that our new neighbor, the Montpelier Post Office, is open for retail business at 89 Main Street!
The work to bring the post office to City Center began late last fall, when VLCT was approached by the United States Postal Service (USPS) following the terrible summer floods of 2023. Long before then, COVID-19 had helped us learn that VLCT can operate well with most employees working from home. After the COVID vaccine made it safe to work together again, staff were given the opportunity to continue to work from home, and so many chose to do so that VLCT found itself with more office space than we needed. With approximately half of the office’s 15,000 sq. ft. footprint available for other uses, VLCT began seeking one or more subtenants to help offset overhead costs. Then the July 2023 flood had only a minimal effect on all of VLCT’s office and parking places (in the City Center garage), making this real estate very desired by flood-damaged organizations. By that September, the Montpelier Food Pantry had subleased and quickly moved into one portion of our available space.
After much discussion over the winter months with the USPS on behalf of the Montpelier post office, our Executive Director Ted Brady and Director of Operations Jessi Hill worked closely with USPS contractors, engineers, architects, and other officials to create and execute a new sublease at City Center. Jessi immediately began the crucial work of downsizing our space and furniture, reconfiguring our offices, and more. Since VLCT was founded in 1967, we had many years of equipment, storage, and paper to repurpose!
Jessi and other staff members were able to create the footprint and clean out about 7,000 sq. ft. of our existing office area to make room for this worthwhile tenant. The post office began reconstruction of their new area in late May and was able to open the post office box portion of it in mid-July, with the public entrance on East State Street, a few feet to the right of VLCT’s emergency exit. The post office’s retail operations opened on October 7.
We are overjoyed and grateful to be a partner to both the food pantry and the post office and welcome them to our suite at City Center! These sublets are wonderful examples of rethinking the office space dynamic in changing times. Both the Montpelier Food Pantry and the USPS provide invaluable services that residents of Montpelier and surrounding communities greatly need. Welcome to City Center!
Learn more in the Times-Argus article about the post office's "soft" opening.