There was limited mail pick-up in Vineyard Haven for Edgartown box holders on Monday as the post office works to temporarily relocate to the old Edgartown library.

Edgartown customers continued to pick up mail in Vineyard Haven Friday and Saturday.

Heather Hamacek

Edgartown customers continued to pick up mail in Vineyard Haven Friday and Saturday.

Heather Hamacek

The town of Edgartown said Monday morning that Edgartown mail is being moved from the Vineyard Haven post officet to the library on Monday, and neither the Vineyard Haven post office or the temporary library location will be open Monday for pick-up. The paperwork for opening the library as a post office is almost completed, the town said. 

Arrangements were being made Friday to have the old Carnegie library building on North Water street temporarily function as a post office in the coming weeks. A little more than a mile away up Main street, workers were busy at the Edgartown Post Office building to repair water damage that has shuttered the building for the last week.

The plan to relocate the post office to the old library came after a week of tensions related to the town’s post office, where more than 3,000 residents and businesses have post office boxes to get their mail. A construction project to add five apartments to the second story has caused rainwater to leak into the building.

On Thursday, a postal service district manager said the post office building requires significant repairs. Working with town officials, including town administrator Pamela Dolby, the recently-vacated Edgartown library was settled on as a new temporary location.

Edgartown officials said Friday that there will be two handicapped-accessible parking spaces in front of the library while it serves as a post office. Fifteen-minute postal customer parking will be available on North Water street from the old library to Morse street and then continuing up Morse street, the town said.

Timeline for reopening Edgartown Post Office is uncertain; deadline to leave library is June 1.

Heather Hamacek

Timeline for reopening Edgartown Post Office is uncertain; deadline to leave library is June 1.

Heather Hamacek

The town also confirmed that the deadline for the post office to reopen at its regular spot near the Edgartown Triangle is June 1. On Thursday, town officials and the owner of the building said there would be more information in the coming days about work required to repair the building.

At the post office Friday construction workers pulled sheetrock down from the ceiling as fans whirred to disperse fumes. Pink insulation hung down from the ceiling, and workers said they planned to remove drywall from the interior of the post office this weekend.

An elderly man made his way slowly up to scaffold-covered walkway to drop envelopes in the blue mailbox outside the building.

Over at the Vineyard Haven post office, cars circled the small parking lot, waiting for an available space. Signs directed Edgartown customers to where they could pick up their mail, which was sorted into bins on a table in the lobby.

Edgartown post office workers made steady work of a line that people stretched along the wall, and there was camaraderie among those waiting.

Package pick-up has been the biggest concern for some customers.

Heather Hamacek

Package pick-up has been the biggest concern for some customers.

Heather Hamacek

A man walked down the line offering cheesecake rangoons, and two women discussed whether the rangoons had pineapple or graham cracker in them.

As she was waiting, Chris White noted the time it took to get mail varied depending on the time of day. Others in line concurred.

“My daughter waited an hour in line the other morning,” Ms. White said.

She added that the Edgartown postal workers have gone above and beyond in making the circumstances easier for the customers. “Our guys have really gone the extra mile,” she said.

Dick Pratt said the timing of the closure was unfortunate.

“It’s the threshold of the rental reason. People are sending checks and leases, the homeowners need to be paid,” he said from his spot in line.

The most frustrating part for some has been package pick-up. Edgartown box holders have been told they have to wait until Monday to get their packages.

“I’m going to Florida on Monday and I have clothes waiting here,” Ms. White said. The post office was working to accommodate her.

Despite the inconveniences, Ms. White said a positive attitude is best.

“It’s really a shame this all happened, but it’s not the end of the world,” she said “Just grin and bear with it.”