After five years of battling at some of the highest levels of government, West Paris has a U.S. Post Office again after five years without one.
The new West Paris Post Office, at 141 Bethel Road, opened on Saturday, April 4. The closure of the previous post office in May 2021 created an uproar in the 1,700-population Oxford County town.
At that time, when the lease at 238 Main St. had expired, the U.S. Postal Service offered no alternative location or plan for a physical site — leading to an outcry among residents.
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, said in a news release Friday that he “repeatedly pushed the USPS for a concrete reopening plan.”
Golden took similar action when the post office in Etna, Penobscot County, closed in 2021. The office reopened at a new site in early 2024.
A year ago, Golden introduced the bipartisan Protecting Postal Performance Act, which would prevent unannounced closures in rural communities.
“Restoring faith in government starts with making it work at the local level, and I’m glad West Paris residents no longer have to travel to another community to access basic mail services,” Golden said in a news release. “While the USPS should have been more prompt and transparent throughout this process, this reopening is a happy ending to the saga — and welcome news for the many families who have reached out to me about equal access to the post office.”
Community impact
The postal workers union hailed the reopening in West Paris.
“The American Postal Workers of Maine is more than excited to have the doors open again to the West Paris, Maine, Post Office,” said Jennifer Garland, executive vice president of the American Postal Workers Union of Maine. “The post office is an integral part of all communities by providing rural mail delivery, getting medications to its residents, especially veterans, voting by mail, parcel services and money orders.”
The Protecting Postal Performance Act, introduced in March 2025, would require the USPS to hold a public hearing and provide six months advance notice before closing post offices in underserved communities. The bill is endorsed by the United Postmasters and Managers of America.
Golden, a Lewiston native who has represented the 2nd District since 2019, plans to step down when his term expires in January 2027.
