Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Tristan Labuguen. Photo illustration by USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs.
By Bardia Khajenoori
USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs
The days of Robinson Barracks residents sending and receiving mail in two different buildings are numbered: a consolidated Postal Service Center (PSC), with an Army Post Office and Community Mail Room under one roof, is coming to RB in 2023.
“The garrison is making a fantastic investment into our facilities at Robinson which will improve the experience of both our customers and team members and give them something much better than they had before,” said Jay Schuneman, administrative services chief of the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Directorate of Human Resources (DHR).
The new Postal Service Center is being built into space currently occupied by the APO in building 169, which will undergo renovations between February and November to make the transformation.
Until that work is completed, CMR services (for receiving mail) will remain where they are in building 196, and APO services (for sending mail) will move down the hall to a temporary location in building 169, room 102, effective Feb. 14. Existing APO operating hours of Tuesday and Thursday from 1 – 3:30 p.m. are unchanged.
“Thanks to close coordination between DHR and the Directorate of Public Works, and the support of the garrison command team, we were able to find and adapt space in the current building to ensure there would be no loss of APO resources to the RB community during the renovation,” said USAG Stuttgart postmaster Larry Baricuatro.
While the temporary location offers the same full range of services, including a kiosk to complete customs forms, occupancy is limited to about one customer at a time, with the hallway available as a waiting area if needed.
And because the current APO entrance will lead into a construction zone, customers will need to enter through a different nearby doorway about 50 ft. away and climb approximately five stairs to reach room 102. Directional signs will provide guidance.
“This was the best possible solution to keep APO services in the meantime, and once the new facility is finished, the RB community will have a beautiful all-in-one Postal Service Center,” Baricuatro said.
The grand opening of the upgraded PSC and transition of CMR services to the new location is expected by the end of the 2023.