Mayor frustrated over Mountain City post office closure

MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)—Johnson County Mayor Larry Potter has involved federal elected officials as he tries to learn when and how Mountain Citians will get on-site post office services again after the town’s post office abruptly closed Wednesday.

A vague sign posted Tuesday stated that the location would be closed to repair structural issues with the roof. Customers would need to pick up mail at the Trade Post Office, 15 minutes away.

A second sign was posted Wednesday with the official U.S. Postal Service (USPS) “Industry Alert” at the top. It said operations were “temporarily suspended” due to safety concerns and that all retail and post office box operations had been moved to Trade. No other information was provided.

Potter said the lack of specifics provided by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) frustrated him, so he called representatives from First District Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger’s office and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s office.

Potter shared a text message from Harshbarger’s office Friday. It said her office had learned the closure was necessary “to ensure the safety of the facility,” and followed a mandate from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

“I understand the significant inconvenience this poses, particularly for our elderly residents and those without reliable transportation,” Harshbarger’s text said.

“My office has already reached out to USPS leadership, urging them to provide temporary solutions to minimize the disruption,” Harshbarger wrote, adding that a temporary post office closer to Mountain City or deployment of mobile postal units is among things being considered.

“I am committed to ensuring that the Johnson County Post Office reopens as soon as possible,” the text said, adding that Harshbarger’s team is monitoring the situation and “will provide updates as more information becomes available.”

Potter said the town and county “deserves better than this.”

“My personal discussion by phone and face to face (with representatives’ staff) was … if you don’t get ahold of this, me as mayor I’m afraid it will be December 2025 (before a post office reopens) and it’s up to you all,” Potter said Friday, referring to his conversations with elected officials.

Potter said he is still trying to get clear answers about how soon USPS plans to reopen the Mountain City location. The location serves a town of nearly 2,500 people and is also the county seat of Johnson County.

News Channel 11 reached out to the USPS for a statement and received the following:

“The safety and well-being of postal customers and employees is a priority for the Postal Service. The temporary suspension of the Mountain City Post Office began after close of business (5:00 p.m.) on September 11. The facility will remain closed until repairs are completed.  This is a leased facility, and we are working with the building’s landlord to quickly resolve facility-related issues. The Mountain City Post Office will remain temporarily suspended, and all P.O. Box and retail services are transferred to the Trade Post Office (164 Highway 67 N, Trade, TN 37691). Mountain City P.O. Box customers can access their mail at the Trade Post Office from 7:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday – Friday and 7:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. on Saturday.  Customers are reminded to please bring a photo ID when picking up P.O. Box mail.  There will be no impact to street deliveries. At this time, there is no firm timeline for completion of repairs, but the goal is to resume postal operations in Mountain City as quickly as possible.”

USPS Corporate Communications

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