The post office in downtown Boca Raton will reopen Thursday morning as normal.
A United States Postal Service spokesperson said employees noticed cracks in the facility’s walls and floors. As a result, the postal service closed the building Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We took this step in an abundance of caution, and also hired a structural engineer to assess an increase in noticeable cracks in the floor and walls of the facility,” said Debra Fetterly, the USPS spokesperson for South Florida, in a statement.
That engineering firm completed its inspection Wednesday and ruled the building is safe and stable. In a letter to the city, the firm said engineers will monitor the structure twice a week for the immediate future.
“The safety and well-being of postal customers and employees is of the utmost importance to the Postal Service,” Fetterly’s statement added.
Many postal customers wonder if construction on Tower 155 across an alley from the 57-year-old post office building caused the cracks. But so far, no proof has connected the construction to the cracks.
A representative from the Tower 155 developer said crews monitor how their work affects the surrounding area using technology similar to that is used to measure earthquakes. At no time have readings forced crews to stop working.
“The first time I heard [the construction], I thought it was an explosion. That’s the kind of noise it made,” explained Richard Fenick, who visits the post office every day.
Despite what may have caused the cracks, Fenick said the postal service handled the situation well.
“Everybody runs into problems in business, even our government,” he said. “So they’re accommodating and doing a good job.”
The postal service set up a mobile post office in the parking lot of the downtown Boca Raton location. That allowed customers to complete almost all of the same tasks they would inside the building.
“We appreciate our customers and thank them for their understanding and patience,” said Fetterly.
All operation will return to normal Thursday.