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The southern part of the county has another Turner at the helm of a post office here. Past-Lindstrom Post master Jim Turner’s son Lee is the new Shafer Postmaster. He took the oath as Shafer Postmaster September 1.

It was also in September 30 years ago that Jim Turner was installed to head the Lindstrom Post Office. Jim retired at the tail end of 1990. He passed away a few years ago.

Lee recently visited with the County Press about his impressions after the first weeks on the job and talked about carrying on the Turner name in local postal operations.

Lee Turner says besides holding a place in history as a second-generation postmaster; his being installed in Shafer is significant because that’s where Turner ancestors first settled when arriving in Minnesota. “I’m back where everything got its start,” he points out.

“I applied for openings when they were announced here and in Marine, Osceola.... hoping to get an assignment around here,” said Turner.

Turner comes from the Forest Lake Post Office where he worked for 28 years. He’s also been assigned out of the Hugo, Circle Pines, Grasston and Harris post offices. So, his commute shortened plus he gets Saturdays off for the first time in his postal career.

Turner said coming from a post office family he is well aware how a town’s post office is an integral part of the community.

He said his dad Jim truly enjoyed being able to help people; whether their problem was a delivery delay or trying to locate a lost relative.

His dad was adept at meeting newcomers and keeping tabs on the old timers in his postmaster role.

Lee brings that same sense of ownership to his Shafer post. He observed that when you are in charge of one of the few places in town that people visit nearly every day, plus area businesses and government rely upon your services, there’s a certain level of satisfaction from that.

Post office work isn’t just about moving boxes, letters and catalogues from one place to another. The job is highly systematic and customer service-driven, down to efficiency standards calculated for each post office.

Turner explained that during his tenure at Forest Lake he came to know his route residents well and felt appreciated. (He even had an entire mobile home park addressed for him.

“Lee Street” became the official sorting address for a trailer park when the computer system couldn’t handle the number of characters in the park’s real name.)

Turner says the post office might advertise an opening and get about 80 people asking for applications. But only a few will actually fill out the comprehensive paperwork and even fewer will get through the interviews and hiring.

The job requires a keen memory and attention to detail. The ideal postal employee is caring but not intrusive.

The carriers don’t just stuff mailboxes, either-- they may also process business shipping orders or deliver stamps and other materials to a customer. Carriers are often the connection to the outside world for homebound people. Turner hasn’t delivered any babies but he did aid an elderly man on his route in Forest Lake one time when the man was caught in deep snow.

Each day is different, Turner said. That’s one other thing he likes about the work.

Turner said certainly Shafer is smaller than what he was accustomed to in Forest Lake, where a semi-trailer load of mail came up from the main St. Paul post office daily.

But, Shafer’s a bigger-sized operation than you might think from just looking at the building.

There are two mounted routes, one is 65 miles long and the other is 20 miles, with 355 and 335 delivery sites respectively, plus there’s 100 post office boxes.

The Shafer delivery region goes from about Herberg Road (Valley View Lane near the river) on the east, down to County Road #86 on the south and one mile north of Palmdale.

Turner said he’s looking forward to getting out on routes and learning the people and places.

Part of his duties as postmaster is to keep the data base current and that means amending address reports for the main post office in St. Paul and making route adjustments. Especially with fuel prices soaring the routes have to be monitored closely.

“Shafer is starting to grow again,” said Turner, noting the second phases of subdivisions being constructed. He has his work cut out.

There are no plans to expand the Shafer post office, though. Postal authorities higher up than postmaster determine staff numbers and square footage that’s suitable for each employee. Trees recently removed to the rear of the Shafer Post Office were just junk trees, Turner reports.

The post office of the 21st century is into technology and marketing, two more items in Turner’s job description

He’s trying to visit with business users and explain delivery and shipping services the U.S. Post Office has available.

He is also promoting “click and ship” a post office service on the internet, where the postal customer looks up delivery fees, readies the package and the route carriers pick it up. “You don’t even have to leave your house if you don’t want to,” Turner added. (See www.usps.com.)

As for Turner’s two sons, he doesn’t expect either to follow in his footsteps. Both have interests in career fields outside the postal system.

And, as for the Lindstrom Postmaster job, Turner said you never know, it could open up and he’d be honored to get it.

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