Residents and officials of Lecompton are rightfully concerned about recent steps that put the town on track to lose its post office.

Like too many government actions lately, these steps appear to have been undertaken without adequate consideration of or consultation with the people who will be most affected by the change.

Lecompton’s postmaster retired about three years ago and, although city officials continued to be assured a full-time replacement would be named, that never happened. Last month, mail carriers whose routes originated out of Lecompton were informed that their routes were being switched to Perry as of July 16. That switch has now occurred, putting Lecompton’s post office one step closer to being downgraded and probably eliminated within a relatively short time.

All of these actions were taken with extremely short notice and apparently without full consideration of Lecompton’s status both as a key historic site and a promising area for future development.

First the history. Lecompton residents have worked hard to share the city’s important role in events that led up to the Civil War. Now, as the United States marks the 150th anniversary of that conflict, more scholars and tourists are becoming interested in Lecompton and its important history. The city has a number of sites on the state and national historic registers and is home to the Constitution Hall State Historic Site operated by the Kansas State Historical Society.

History alone is a strong argument for keeping Lecompton on the nation’s postal map, but the city’s potential for future development also is an important factor. Douglas County and Lecompton are growing faster than Jefferson County and Perry. Lecompton’s location close to Interstate 70 and smack between Topeka and Lawrence makes it a prime location for new business and residential developments. Land near I-70’s Lecompton interchange already has been zoned for business and industrial use, and more development may stretch in that direction.

The U.S. Postal Service is struggling to make ends meet and some cuts may be necessary. The problem arises, however, when federal officials make arbitrary decisions without considering all the factors that are obvious to people who live in and around some of these towns.

State and local officials are speaking up in opposition to this decision. We hope they will get the attention needed to spur postal officials to reconsider their course in Lecompton.