Customers of The State Bank advised management of their concerns about having a U.S. Post Office outlet available in Falcon. The Peyton post office is 11 miles away from Falcon Town Center. Management contacted postal officials arranging to provide U.S. Postal Service to Falcon and the surrounding community. The State Bank was the first bank, and to our knowledge still the only bank, to offer this service to the community. The service was initially a branch under the Peyton post office.Post office officials were included in the planning of the new bank building. The building was designed to include a contract post office. A contract office does not report to the Peyton office. While the post office at The State Bank would like to be full-service, it has been advised that there are a couple of services which a contract office cannot legally perform. One is bulk mailing where a bulk-mailing permit is being used. A second is undeliverable items. The Falcon post office handles all other type of mailings including registered mail and certified mail with return receipts.The post office processed undelivered certified mail and packages for several years. There was a change in the postmaster at Peyton a couple of years ago. The new postmaster cited some postal regulations restricting contract postal outlets from handling undeliverable mail. The bank would be very happy to provide these additional functions if the postal service granted the privilege.The Falcon post office and bank personnel are occasionally asked if and when Falcon will have its own zip code and post office building. Our conversations with post office representatives indicate that while a separate zip code may be assigned at future date when the number of addresses is efficient to warrant a separate building, it is probably a long time in the future if ever. The cost of land, buildings and personnel to operate a separate facility is more than the use of contract post offices and kiosks. For example, this Falcon contract office provides the building, personnel and funds to operate. The stamps and many of the supplies are funded and owned by the bank. The postal service does supply envelopes, boxes and forms, which have the U.S. Post Office logo.How do contract post offices obtain funds to continue operation? The contract is on a commission payment basis. The contractor receives a percentage of the gross sales. The reason that the bank can operate the post office more economically is because bank employees perform multi-duties as teller, postal clerk and data input clerks.Alfred L. Kreps, Senior Vice PresidentThe State Bank, home of the Falcon Post Office
