ithout a local post office for the past three years, City Administrator Teather Bliss said the wait to build a new one has been a burden for residents.

“It’s been frustrating for the community,” Bliss said.

If residents don’t have their mail delivered to their homes or a mailbox in Cottonwood, they have to go to the Hanley Falls post office, about 7 miles away.

Now, the matter has gone to the top of the U.S. Postal Service. Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-MN, sent a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General, formally asking for answers about construction delays.

Fischbach’s office shared a copy of the letter, dated Sept. 9, with the Independent.

In her letter, Fischbach asked Postmaster General David Steiner for answers as to why there had been “no substantial forward progress made” on a new post office in Cottonwood. She also asked Steiner for a commitment to completing a Cottonwood post office by Dec. 31.

“Cottonwood is a small city, with thriving companies and a school district, and a functional post office in town is a must for them to continue their operations as normal. My office has repeatedly tried to assist them in obtaining answers from USPS and while responses have been received, the answers have been unsatisfactory and incomplete,” Fischbach’s letter said.

Bliss said she hoped Fischbach would be able to help speed up the process of returning a post office to Cottonwood. Some some surveying and other work has started for construction of a new office, she said.

Cottonwood’s former post office was located in a building near the corner of West Main Street and West First Street. The facility closed down in the summer of 2022, after a storm damaged the building’s roof. At the time, a notice from the Cottonwood postmaster said the damage led to a ceiling collapse. However, there were no injuries and no mail was damaged.

With the Cottonwood post office closed, customers were directed to pick up their mail at the Hanley Falls post office.

Traveling to Hanley Falls to pick up mail, buy stamps or send packages wasn’t a good solution for Cottonwood residents and businesses — especially during winter weather, Bliss said. She said not having a post office in Cottonwood also made it difficult to send certified mail. Some Cottonwood residents affected by the change started getting mail delivered to their homes, or used mailboxes that were installed near the Cottonwood fire hall about a year and a half ago, Bliss said.

Bliss said it was also frustrating not getting answers from USPS about when a post office would return to Cottonwood. The city turned to its Congressional representatives.

“We’ve been talking with (Fischbach’s) office now for probably the better part of two and a half years,” Bliss said.

Cottonwood had also been working with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, to try and get answers about the post office, she said.

Fischbach’s letter said the city was told this April that a Cottonwood post office facility would be completed in July.

“In July 2025, Cottonwood’s city administrator again raised concerns to USPS that no work was being done at the lot where the post office was supposed to be built. USPS replied that the timeline had again been pushed back, with completion now expected before December 31, 2025,” the letter said.

In her letter, Fischbach asked the postmaster general to commit to building the new post office by the Dec. 31 deadline.

“Hopefully, we’ll start seeing some movement,” after reaching out to Fischbach and Klobuchar, Bliss said. Some surveying and planning work seemed to be going on at a lot near LeRoy’s Bar and Grill, she said. The city has been contacted for utility and plat information for the project, Bliss said.

“We’ll see if it moves forward,” she said.