Dumfries Postal Agency on the verge of collapse

The Dumfries Postal Agency in St James has been in a state of decay for more than two decades. Not only is the structure of the wooden facility rotting at every corner, but the flooring and ceiling are also on the verge of collapse.

Postal agent Phyllis Williams told Western Star that she prays daily that the building does not collapse with her in it.

"The tiles and floor boarding are loose. The top is rotting and giving way. Wasps, termites, rats, rat bats, and all sorts of insects take over the place," said Williams, who has been working at the postal agency for 31 years.

"There is no bathroom, no pipe for running water, no electricity. If I want to use the bathroom, I would have to go elsewhere or wait until I go back home in the lunchtime," she said.

Williams told Western Star that she has had to take exceptional care to protect letters and packages whenever it rains.

The postal agency not only provides service to the hundreds of residents who live in Dumfries, but also those from surrounding districts, including Canaan, Buck Town, Watson Town and Belfield.

"This building is a rental building and sometimes when I talk, people say them will talk to the MP to do something. Jamaica Post is saying that the MP for each area is responsible for the agency, but I am not seeing anything that they are doing," she explained.

"I would just love to see a better place to house the postal agency because sometimes when you go to other agencies and see how their places are kept, you feel bad. I don't have anybody to go to, so sometimes I just swallow my spit," she added.