Heritage home becomes Creek Post Office

(CNS): The Creek Post Office on Cayman Brac reopened last month after nearly three years of closure due to severe damage from Hurricane Paloma in November 2008. After the search for a new post office building, the home of the island’s first midwife Petrona Connolly-Bodden was selected due to its significant heritage value. After minor modifications were made to the structure to accommodate its current use, the building, which houses both the Creek Post Office and Sister Islands Sports Office, was officially opened on 8 July.

During the rebuilding phase of the post office, the Creek post office boxes were moved into unrented boxes at West End Post Office, thus allowing Creek box holders to access their boxes. Four of the five post offices on Cayman Brac were damaged, with the one at Creek being the most severely damaged of the four. After the 2009 general elections, the Minister of District Administration Julianna O’Connor-Connolly, who has responsibility over postal services, began searching for an alternate site for the Creek Post Office. In the meantime, the district manager for Creek Post Office was stationed at the Stake Bay Post Office shortly after Hurricane Paloma and then at Spot Bay Post Office when it reopened in May 2009. 

The new post office, located at 5 Cantlin Drive, has 34 post office boxes and customers can top-up mobile phones for LIME and Digicel and make WestStar payments there. The post office opens on Monday – Thursday from 9am – 11:30am and 1:30pm – 3:00pm, on Friday from 9am – 11:30am and 1:30pm – 3:30pm and on Saturday from 9am – 11:30am.

The Ministry of District Administration says that they are considering their options on what to do with the former condemned post office building, located within Creek Cemetery. However, the ministry says they will move the building to provide more room for the cemetery at the very least.

The official opening was attended by Minister of District Administration and Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, Acting Permanent Secretary of Distract Administration Tristan Hydes, Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary of District Administration Jonathon Jackson, Sister Islands District Commissioner Ernie Scott and Postmaster General Sheena Glasgow.

15-year-old Joshua Dilbert is a CNS summer intern.