The U.S. Postal Service has nixed plans by Harmony officials to try to keep the local post office open for an additional month.

Harmony officials June 16 voted to request that the postal service continue delivering mail to residents' boxes in the borough building through July.

The postal service earlier this month announced that it was temporarily closing the post office and that residents would have to go to neighboring Zelienople to get their mail starting July 1.

The borough hoped to allow access to the boxes in July only during hours when the borough offices were open.

But council President Michelle Barto said the postal service this week said it would require the borough to have the boxes accessible on Saturdays when the borough offices are closed.

"Our insurance is requiring us to have someone in the building at all times when it is unlocked," she said. "We would not be able to leave the building unlocked for service to the boxes."

Beginning July 1, Harmony residents with postal boxes will be assigned a box free of charge at the Zelienople post office, or they can request home delivery.

Postal officials have said the closing in Harmony is temporary and that a long-term decision has not been reached, but Harmony officials fear that the post office will not be returning.

"I'm sure it's never coming back to the borough building," said Mayor Cathy Rape.

Harmony will lose about half of the $16,000 in rent that the postal service was paying for the space in 2009.

About 110 Harmony residents have their mail delivered to boxes in the borough building because there is no home delivery available to them.

The borough still has the option of installing apartment-style cluster boxes at its own expense where residents would be able to pick up their mail.

But postal officials said the borough would need to choose between that option and home delivery. All 110 customers must have the same service, they said.

Postal officials said the 660 feet of space in the borough building is not large enough for its needs, and the cramped quarters make it unsafe for workers.