Fence Going Up Around Hannibal Post Office and Federal Building

If you've driven by the Hannibal Post Office today, you have probably noticed the large chain link fence that is being installed around the Hannibal Federal Building, Courthouse and Post Office.

David Myers is the Building Maintenance Supervisor. He says that the reason for the fence is public safety.

It's a safety fence, not a security fence that's being put up for per-construction, to keep people from a chance of possibly falling brick from around the building. There's an issue with the brick facade on the building. It's been addressed as far as how to fix it, so this is a safety thing to keep people safe.

Myers says that the main inconvenience from the construction project will regard parking for the post office.

The parking's going to be bad, the entrances aren't good, but it's the best we can do for the situation that we're in with the construction.

Unfortunately, according to Myers, the fencing will be in place for quite some time before construction begins.

This could be quite an ordeal for several months.

KHMO News also spoke with Bob Baker, Hannibal Postmaster:

This is going to be an inconvenience, for sure. But what we all have to remember is it's for the safety of the customers and the employees here. All we can do is ask people's patience. The side parking lot to the west is going to be cornered off so that people won't have access to that. However, I think with that we will gain a couple parking spots where the driveway used to be, and people should be able to park there up to the curb. As far as the parking situation, I don't know that it's going to be as bad as it first seems. Maybe some difficulty moving in and out.

Baker says that the closing of the parking lot also has other ramifications, beyond just the parking situation.

Probably the biggest obstacle we see is having to move the drive up collection boxes that were in our driveway. They had to be moved out to the street. You won't be able to access it from the driver's side as you were before.

Baker points out that even with the construction and fencing projects, post office hours will not disrupted.