FERRIDAY, La. – Ferriday’s new post office opened its doors Friday morning, giving both postal workers and their customers more room to move.

The old post office had been located on Louisiana Avenue since 1940, in a three-story building with little more than 5,000 square feet for space. That included just 1,000 square feet of work space – quite a tight fit, according to Postmaster De Rice.

The new facility contains 6,500 square feet, including 4,000 square feet of work space for postal workers.

It also has more than 600 post office boxes, a larger lobby, 36 parking spaces and parcel lockers and is handicapped accessible.

&uot;We’re happy to be here,&uot;&160;Rice said. &uot;We’ve lost some storage space, but we have more work and floor space. Everything’s gone well so far.&uot;

Not that there haven’t been delays. Construction of a new post office on First Street was originally set to begin in September. But severe weather pushed the completion date from February to April, pushing the opening date back further.

The building is owned by contractor Ross Ponthie of Alexandria, La., who is leasing it to the Postal Service.

Despite a wait to exchange their old post office box keys for new ones, customers seemed pleased with the new facility.

&uot;I&160;like it because it’s bigger,&uot;&160;said customer David Hollis. &uot;And it’s about time they got something new.&uot;

Meanwhile, a contract has been signed for the old post office building, said Joe Stedman of Prudential Stedman and Associates, the Natchez real estate firm with whom the building was listed.

But Stedman would not confirm that Donald Ater of Ferriday, co-owner of Ater Warehouse Inc. on U.S. 84 near Ferriday, had bought the building. Ater was out of town and could not be reached for comment Friday.