What better working title for a new post office on the frontier of southwest Broward: the Ponderosa Branch.
The U.S. Postal Service is scouting for land, a 6- to 6 1/2-acre site, on which to build the Ponderosa and serve sections of Davie, Weston and unincorporated Broward.
If you have a chunk of land that size in those areas, postal officials want to talk to you. It could be your bonanza.
“We pay fair market value,” said Carol Larson, a Postal Service spokeswoman in Atlanta.
The preferred location would fall within these boundaries: Southwest 26th Street on the north, Sheridan Street on the south, Southwest 148th Avenue on the east and U.S. 27 on the west. The post office would serve that and surrounding areas.
The Postal Service is advertising for a site in newspapers and at post offices, Larson said. The closing date for offering land is May 8.
The reason for a new office: keep up with growth and relieve the crowded Davie branch on University Drive.
“We’re experiencing tremendous growth in unincorporated Broward County,” Larson said. “For some people, the nearest post office is seven miles away in Davie.”
Toni Martin, a Davie resident for 27 years, often goes nearly that far to buy stamps and mail packages. A closer post office would mean less hassle.
“You don’t have to fight through traffic. The Davie branch has been swamped for years. The entrance/exit out there is terrible,” she said.
The new full-service branch would be 24,800-square-feet, house 60-65 postal employees and handle 40 carrier routes, Larson said. If land is purchased soon, it could open within 18 months.
Meanwhile, postal officials are planning to build a new post office in Weston to serve about 25,000 Weston and Bonaventure residents. Postal officials said they hope to pick a site and build that office within 18 months.
