DOVER — Hopes for a new post office were nearly dashed last week when the U.S. Postal Service denied the city’s relocation proposal, but an about face from the agency has the plan back on track.

The proposal, which seeks to move the post office to Dover’s former firehouse, gained City Council approval last month but needed USPS approval to move forward. Word came last Friday that the plan had been denied, for unspecified reasons, by USPS western area Vice President Sylvester Black.

By Friday night Black had reversed his decision, giving Dover the OK to proceed with the relocation.

The abrupt change of heart came after state Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, and representatives of U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, contacted USPS officials to inquire about the decision, said Paul Nowaske, chairman of the Dover Post Office Committee.

“Those two sources may have been what put us over the top,” Nowaske said.

Nowaske said he is energized by the  decision and hopes to begin work on remodeling the new office by week’s end.

The building needs minor alterations, including tearing down drywall, but Nowaske said an anonymous Dover resident has offered to foot the bill for all modifications.

Once open, the new post office would operate under a two-year lease and offer services similar to the current facility.

The city’s current post office is slated to close March 20, four months after the building’s owner and USPS failed to reach an agreement on a long-term lease.