The January 21 edition of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News began hitting mailboxes in zip codes 33543 & 33544 on Saturday and everyone in those two Wesley Chapel zip codes will receive their Jan. 21 edition by tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 21).
If you live in zip code 33545, however, that portion of our bulk mailing will not hit mailboxes until this coming weekend (Jan 24 or 25). Because of all the growth in the northeastern part of Wesley Chapel, the Post Office suddenly changed many of the carrier routes in zip code 33545 â including adding five brand new postal carrier routes in that zip code â and all of this happened as of Jan. 1.
Unbeknownst to us, these new carrier routes were created by the Post Office by taking away portions of several existing routes that we’ve been mailing to in zip code 33545 â and these new routes do not even show up yet on the Post Office’s Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) system. All I knew was that after a year of unprecedented growth of new homes in Wesley Chapel (more than 5,000 new addresses since Jan. 1, 2024, and one month with more than 1,000 new addresses!), our original direct mail count for the Jan. 21 edition somehow actually went down by more than 3,000 pieces â so I knew something was wrong.
In order for those of you who live in zip code 33545 who have been reading our issues every four weeks to still receive the Jan. 21 edition, I had to do a second printing and mailing to add all five of these new carrier routes and not mail any copies to zip code 33545 until we had the total count correct for this issue.
I apologize for any inconvenience, but this was the only way for me to ensure that everyone in zip code 33545 who is supposed to receive the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News receives their Jan. 21 edition.
After what seemed like an eternity for new Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit (CPU) contractor Jevon Williams and his wife Cindy â and pretty much the entire Wesley Chapel community â the new CPU opened today in the Freedom Plaza at 30124 S.R. 54.
“I know we still have the old (3D Wellness) Pharmacy sign on the building, but we finally got it open,” Jevon told me when I became the new CPU’s second customer shortly after 9 a.m. “We’re here to serve the community.”
Jevon and Cindy, both local Realtors with EXP Realty, are now selling stamps and can handle your Priority and Priority Express mail, as well as send Certified and Registered mail, all at Post Office prices. They stock boxes, packaging tape and materials, have a few greeting cards and some candy and snacks, and also serve free coffee to their customers. The new location also is renting P.O. boxes to businesses and individuals who need them.
“We tried to keep the same P.O. box people from the old CPU,” said Argelis Castro from the Zephyrhills Post Office, who was helping Williams work out some issues at the CPU on opening day. “The problem was that the old CPU’s zip code (on Boyette Rd.) was 33545, while this is 33543, so not everyone who had a P.O. box there wanted to or was able to transfer that box here. Plus, the old location was closed for more than six months.”
In other words, P.O. boxes are available at the new Wesley Chapel CPU, which is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday.
And, until the holiday season kicks in, at least, it doesn’t appear as though there are any major parking issues at the new CPU. feel free to tell Jevon and his friendly staff that I sent you.
The Wesley Chapel CPU on Boyette Rd. was busy helping customers right up until Dec. 31, the day it finally closed. (Photos by Charmaine George)
Considering that New Tampa has had its own full-service U.S. Post Office for more than 20 years, it was hard for me to understand why Wesley Chapel has only had a Contract Postal Unit (CPU). In fact, it wasnât until after I moved out of the community around Saddlebrook Resort in 1995, that Kelly Rossi, who has had the contract to run the CPU in Wesley Chapel for 26 years, took over the operation of the local CPU.Â
But, I have been one of the most frequent customers there ever since, especially since Kelly moved the unit to its current location on Boyette Rd. (after a short stint in a trailer where the current Kia dealership on S.R. 54 is located) a couple of years later.
I canât even tell you how many times I heard Kelly and her long-time âright handâ Gini Ruggiero explain to customers that if they received notices from the U.S. Postal Service about a piece of Certified or Registered mail or anything they had to sign for, they would have to make the 25-minute (or more) drive to the Zephyrhills Post Office to do so.
Even so, Kelly, Gini and the rest of the staff at the Wesley Chapel CPU, which also had a variety of cute gifts for sale, sold stamps, taped up and accepted Express Mail and Priority Mail packages for mailing and did virtually everything else a ârealâ post office does other than actually deliver the mail.
Kelly Rossi
The bottom line is that Kelly says she notified the Zephyrhills Post Office in October that it was finally time for her to retire and that Dec. 31, would be her last day. She and Gini are probably still packing up the remaining items in the converted trailer as youâre reading this, so they can vacate the building by Feb. 1.
âIt was a very hard decision (to leave),â Kelly said. âI have loved serving the people of Wesley Chapel and I have received such wonderful feedback and made so many really good friends that have become like family to me. But, I havenât been able to spend much time with my husband and ten grandchildren. Itâs just time for new adventures.â
So, Whatâs Next For The CPU?
David Walton, who is in Corporate Communications with the U.S. Postal Service, told me in an email that although there are still no plans for Wesley Chapel to get its own full-service post office, there is still an opportunity for someone to become a new Wesley Chapel CPU contractor, although he notes that it may not necessarily be in the same location.
âThe previous CPU was located in a leased facility,â Walton wrote in his email. âCPU operators need to provide their own space. I bet if (interested parties) contact the previous CPU operator, she would gladly share the name of her former landlord.â
And, even though I had been previously told that a new Wesley Chapel CPU contractor had already been selected, Walton said at our press time, âItâs my understanding things never materialized with the other party who had expressed interest. If (anyone) is still interested, I would highly recommend they reach out to the Zephyrhills Postmaster.â
Kelly believes the earliest a new CPU can open here is the end of Feb. or the beginning of March, but until that happens, Wesley Chapel residents will have to travel to Zephyrhills, Land OâLakes, Lutz or New Tampa for postal services without additional convenience charges.
As to why Wesley Chapel isnât getting its own full-service post office, Walton said:
âThe Postal Service closely monitors growing communities. We expand service when necessary to meet our customersâ needs and to maintain a quality level of service. However, community growth in itself is not sufficient cause to establish an independent Post Office. We generally consider establishment of an independent Post Office when present postal facilities fail to meet the needs of the community.â
