To collect their pension cheques and PATH (Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education) benefits, senior citizens in Islington in St Mary will have to continue dipping into their meagre allowance and travel some five miles to Port Maria as there are no immediate plans to reopen the community’s post office which has been closed since last October.

The post office, which served more than a dozen communities for decades, shut its doors after suffering damage from Hurricane Sandy.

The closure, residents said, is not only affecting elderly pensioners – who they say have to pay up to $1,000 per trip at times – but also those who cannot afford the $200 fare to travel to the parish capital to collect their monthly utility bills and other mail.

“Some of the old people walk with stick and you have to lift dem up and put dem in a car to travel all the way to Port Maria fi collect dem little pension and PATH money,” said Joseph Pryce, a resident of the farming community.

But the residents will have to contend with the inconvenience of not having a post office for some time longer, as Postmaster General Michael Gentles said there is just no money to repair the structure in the short-term.

“We have looked at the building, but it is going to be very costly to rehabilitate it so we are working to see what the alternatives are,” he told the Jamaica Observer North East.

According to Gentles, discussions have also been had with the elected representatives to identify suitable options, but nothing has yet been forthcoming.

In the meantime, Gentles said arrangements are being worked out for the pensioners to collect their benefits at the Islington Police Station.

“We are working with that arrangement and that should be in place soon,” Gentles said.

But residents say they don’t know how much longer they can exist without a post office as not only were they able to collect their mails, pensions and PATH benefits at the facility, but they were also able to make bill payments there.

Were it not for the closure of the post office, the residents said they would not have to journey so often to Port Maria as the community has its own police station, high, primary and basic schools, a health centre and numerous wayside shops.

According to Pryce, all efforts should have been made to reopen the Islington Post Office already since it serves so many surrounding communities.

“It is really taking a lot out of us, and especially the old people, and so in a place like Islington the post office shoulda fix up already,” he argued.

Another resident, who identified herself only as Dorrelle, also lamented the fact that the elderly and PATH beneficiaries are the worse affected.

“The elderly pensioners and the PATH beneficiaries cannot afford the cost or manage the journey to travel to Port Maria,” she said.

Fellow resident Ardia argued that the $200 taxi fare to and from Port Maria could go towards paying a bill. According to her, sometimes she has to spend $400 for the month just to travel to Port Maria as she has to visit that post office at least twice a month if her bills are not ready on time.

“It really hard that we have a post office just sitting there and that $400 me paying in taxi fare fi go Port Maria would go a far way towards me bill because things very tough now,” Ardia said.

Meanwhile, resident Allen McPherson said he understands the reason no effort has been made to reopen the post office in the rural community.

“Not even stamp no sell again so there is no way for the post office to make any money and so I don’t see them reopening it anytime soon,” McPherson reasoned.

He argued, however, that the building should not be allowed to fall into ruin but should have been used as the site of the Islington Police Station which was built elsewhere.

“Right now nobody has lived in the postmistress’ house all this time,” he said of the unoccupied building adjoining the facility.

McPherson also took issue with the poor state of the community roads which, he believes, has hindered development in the community.