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ESTERO - Meg Judge, Estero Chamber of Commerce president, received a shiny new key Monday.

No, it wasn’t to a new car or house, but to the first post office box in the shiny new Estero Post Office that will open sometime in January after a few last minute items are installed.

Judge received the key from Postmaster Debbie Rardin Monday during a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by dignitaries including Congressman Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, — who was instrumental in getting the new post office in Estero, several business people and representatives of Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Judge, prior to the ribbon cutting, said Mack was asked and jumped aboard right away to get the postal service to agree to build a new facility that will be more customers friendly.

“I think Meg was being nice there. During my first election, she said ‘we need a post office and you’re going to help,’” Mack said as people in the audience laughed, most of whom know Judge doesn’t take no for an answer. “There was no asking.”

“I prefer to call it patient persuasion,” Judge said later about how she manages to get partnerships to work.

Judge, a driving force along with the chamber in establishing controlled growth in Estero, said a partnership between the Lee County School District and U.S. Postal Service allowed for the construction project.

“This is an example of what can happen when we work together,” Mack said. “I think it says a lot about the school board, chamber, postal service and myself.”

The school district sold 4.5 acres of 76 acres it owns to the federal government for construction of the post office. The property cost $430,000 compared to the millions wanted by a private landowner wants for a nearby property, she said.

The idea for a new post office was born about 10 years ago when the chamber was founded, Judge said.

“We came up with a good idea and brought in partnerships,” she said.

The new post office will be a retail center only. Customers will continue to retrieve packages and hold mail from the Broadway location which will be where carriers are based. The new post office will offer full-service stamps and mailing items, in addition to the 1,200 post office boxes available.

Estero postal carriers have gone from delivering to about 35,000 residences and businesses five years ago to about 40,000 in 2009, Rardin said. More growth is expected.

Judi Gietzen, the chamber’s membership coordinator and a Realtor for Amerivest Realty, feels she has her work cut out for her.

“My goal is to fill all these boxes,” Gietzen said. “My (job) is to bring in new residents and assist in promoting the post office boxes.”

Ground was broken in March with a November target date for the post office to open, Nikole Richardson, spokeswoman for Lodge Construction in Fort Myers which built the facility. She also is secretary of the chamber, said. Some change orders delayed the process.

Rardin said a grand-opening will be announced in the media sometime in January when the post office will be open full-time. Movement of items needed to service customers will be seamless.

Those who already rent post office boxes should be able to begin using them this week.

As for having a new facility, Rardin said she was ecstatic — she even gets a new office.

“I’m thrilled. I don’t think there’s a good enough word to describe it,” Rardin said.