Please attend the meeting concerning the Castell Post Office on October 15, 2011 at 10:00 am at the Castell Community Club.As most of you are probably aware by now, the Castell Post Office is one of the many rural post offices under review by the United States Postal Service for closure or some other “alternative”. We are in the first stages of the “study process” and we need to SPEAK OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!It is VITAL that each and every one of us send an email or letter to Congressman Conaway and all of our elected officials ASAP to let them know of our opposition on the study and proposals for the Castell Post Office.The present United States Postal Service was authorized and set up by the Constitution of the United States of America in 1971 under the Postal Reorganization Act found in Section 101 (a-g) of Title 39 pf the U.S. Code, to be a government agency responsible for serving all citizens and communities in the United States with mail service, and Section 101 (b) states: “The Postal Service shall provide a maximum degree of effective and regular postal services to rural areas, communities, and small towns where post offices are not self-sustaining. No small post office shall be closed solely for operating at a deficit, it being the specific intent of the Congress that effective postal services be insured to residents of both urban and rural communities”.The USPS underwent a Postal Regulation Change in July but was reported to have said in the Post and Parcel News of July 14, 2011 that it would not change regulations that prevent a post office from being closed solely because it is operating at a deficit, however, they were also reported to have said that where retail traffic drops below minimal levels, it was likely that postal customers would be accessing postal services through alternative channels. The rural Community of Castell does not have “alternative channels” (big grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers where postal business could be conducted) like patrons in larger towns and cities! It doesn’t matter if your email of protest is as simple as one sentence so long as you send one, and you MUST include your full name and address in order for it to be validated and forwarded on.Some of the email addresses I have may no longer be valid and I apologize if some of you receive duplicate emails as time was of the essence and I copied group email addresses from different sources and/or I had more than 1 email address for the same person. Below are some internet links telling some of what has transpired that might be of help: http://postandparcel.info/40796/news/us-postal-service-changes-post-office-closure-rules/http://www.prc.gov/prc-pages/default.aspxhttp://savethepostoffice.com/changing-rules-middle-game-usps-amends-closure-regulations Below is contact information of elected and other officials the email or correspondence should go to. At this time I was unable to get direct email addresses on some of the officials but please go to the internet links provided below to email them.

U.S. Congressman Michael Conaway

Email Address: nancy.watson@mail.house.gov11th District of Texas

County Annex

104 N. Sandstone Street

Llano, Texas 79643

325-247-2826

United States Postal Service Regional Manager

Email Address: earnest.p.jones@usps.gov

Earnest P. Jones

1 North Abe Street

San Angelo, Texas 76902

U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson

To email open: http://hutchison.senate.gov/?p=email_kay284

Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510-4304

202-224-5922

202-224-0776 (FAX)

202-224-5903 (TDD)

U.S. Senator John Cornyn

To email open: http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm

Chase Tower

221 West Sixth Street

Suite 1530

Austin, TX 78701

Main: 512-469-6034 Fax: 512-469-6020

Senator Troy Fraser

To email open: http://www.fraser.senate.state.tx.us/#form

District 24101

Highway 281 North, Suite 203

Marble Falls, Texas 78654

(830) 693-9900 fax: (830) 693-9603

Representative Harvey Hilderbran

To email open: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/email/?district=53&session=82

District 53

125 Lehmann Drive

Kerrville, TX 78028

(830) 257-2333

I do not have everyone’s address so PLEASE forward this information on to family, friends, neighbors.......as many as you can!SEE YOU AT THE MEETING Saturday October 15, 2011, 10:00 am, Castell Community Club!