By By Adrienne McKenzie
The Atmore Post Office facility construction phase that will allow the building to be more appealing to both customers and employees is almost complete.
Atmore postmaster Lester Cogollo said that only some minor renovations are still to come.
"This is still ongoing," Cogollo said. "The majority of all the painting has been done inside. Just some touchups have to be done. The blinds have to be replaced. The old shed in the back of the building is now a block building for storage. The roof work on that still needs to be done. Some cement work still has to be completed."
There is yet one more major repair that Cogollo would like to see through before finalizing the renovation process.
"Right now it's pending, but I'm trying to get the work room floor replaced," he said. "Replacing the floor in the work room will be a major project. It will be very inconvenient for the employees, but it will not degrade the service to customers and we will be able to work around the inconvenience."
There were other improvements to the Atmore Post Office, Cogollo said.
"We had another stall installed for the ladies restroom," he said. "We have a dehumidifier for downstairs but we are trying to get a larger one. The ceiling has been replaced due to water damage over the years and there is new carpet. We still need to replace the screens on the windows."
Some of the panels inside the building have been replaced because water leaked in behind them, causing them to "bubble." The railings in front of the building have been painting and the ground was power washed. Cogollo has put in a request for some landscaping in front of the facility.
Also, Atmore Post Office customers have probably noticed the mural in the front lobby of the building.
"During the 1930s the government contracted people to come in and do murals in the post offices," Cogollo said. "We want that to be refurbished."
While all of these renovations have been taking place, Cogollo said it has helped the post office to become more organized.
"In the process of all this moving around, we've reorganized how we're set up in the office," he said. "We can now work more efficiently."
Cogollo said thus far he is pleased with the work that has been completed for the facility.
"We've had excellent work crews," he said. "We encouraged them to subcontract out to local businesses whenever possible and they have complied. So, the money is being put right back into the community."
Cogollo is uncertain when the rest of the changes will be ready.
"It depends on when or if they are able to redo the floors in the work room floor," he said. "Besides that, all the major changes have been made."
Cogollo said the employees at the post office participated in the process of choosing what changes were made.
"I conferred with the employees to see what would work best," he said. "The changes were implemented with their input."