MOYIE SPRINGS — On Wednesday, Jan. 14, the Moyie Springs City Council officially signed a lease for a new post office location during a special meeting earlier this month. 

“We had a short council meeting and the whole focus was on the post office agreement that we have been working on,” council member Jacob Francom said. 

Moyie Springs Mayor Geoff Hollenbeck summed up his feelings when signing the document. 

“It was a big sigh of relief,” Hollenbeck said. 

The lease will be $5,400 a year, which can be renewed for $6,210 a year after 10 years and $7,141.50 a year after 15 years. The U.S. Postal Service will be responsible for all utility services and routine maintenance.

One concern is making sure the land is suitable for the prefabricated USPS building, Moyie Springs officials said. 

“I don't know exactly how that's going to work out because there's like 300 dump truck loads of soil,” Hollenbeck said. 

“There’s going to be a lot of earthwork that’s going to have to be done,” Francom said. “Because as you look at that piece of property just east of City Hall, where the Postal Service is going to go, it has a lot of dirt on it and it has some trees.” 

According to Hollenbeck, the landfill will take the soil and he believes the city will not have to pay for its removal. 

He said he learned a lot through the process of working with the federal government. 

“It’s a lot different than even dealing with the city of Bonners or the county,” Hollenbeck said. 

Other than Moyie Springs, there are four other USPS locations in Boundary County: Bonners Ferry, Naples, Eastport and Porthill.   

Hollenbeck said involvement from Moyie Springs residents has been instrumental in council operations and he encouraged continued participation in city affairs. 

“Come to our council meetings,” Hollenbeck said. “We'll tell you whatever you need to know. If we can’t, by golly, we’ll look it up and find an answer for you.”