The U.S. Postal Service plans to close the tiny post office in this close-knit community that has been a gathering place for the village of about 300 families for many years.
Residents said the post office in the 95-year-old former bank building on the corner of Terra Ceia and Center roads has been an important asset to the island's community life.
The residents have to go there every day to pick up their mail from the hundreds of tiny boxes lining the walls. While there, they can check the half-dozen or more notices about different island activities and other information posted on the large bulletin board.
"A lot of the residents don't have e-mail," said Janet Thoreson, president of the Village Improvement Association. "But everyone has to pick up their mail every day, so the board helps everyone know what's going on."
Julia Roberts, a long-time resident, said the current lease with Francois LeBrecque, owner of the building, expires at the end of February and he wants to renovate the space to make it more desirable for rental with the upstairs offices.
Officials with the Postal Service have not returned calls to confirm the closure, but Roberts said there have been meetings with the residents about the issue.
"We want to keep the post office because of the convenience," she said. "But more important, mainly because it's part of the island culture and we'll be losing our name."
The Postal Service proposed installing cluster mailboxes, either all in one spot or scattered around the island, but that was not satisfactory to some residents. They say Terra Ceia should get the same level of service as Palmetto Point, a development across Terra Ceia Bay to the south of Terra Ceia.
"You would have to travel to downtown Palmetto to pick up a large package," Thoreson said. "Palmetto Point has home delivery, why not us?"
The prospect of having to travel to Palmetto to pick up package - and the loss of identity that would come with the post office's closure - has resident Ron Martino upset.
"The post mark will not say 'Terra Ceia Island' anymore," Martino said. "Instead it will be Palmetto."
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