Leaks persist at General Post Office; new roof approved

A leaking roof at the General Post Office in George Town created a wet floor in the public reception area after the recent heavy rains.

Post office staff members placed cardboard on the floor, along with signs warning customers of wet floor.

Acting postmaster general, Melissa Martinez-Ebanks, confirmed that the issue has been ongoing for several years and the roof has been repaired several times.

“The roof at the General Post Office has leaks that have been repaired several times over the years, but the problem has returned,” she said. “In the 2026 budget, funding was approved for a new roof, which was the solution recommended. This project is in the initial stages.”

Martinez-Ebanks said she did not have an estimated timeframe for the new roof to be completed, but that “it will be done as soon as possible”.

The leaks did not damage any mail or post office records have damaged, Martinez-Ebanks said. “The leaks affect a specific area of the GPO, and steps to protect mail and records have been taken.”

Regarding the possibility of mould growth, she added, “The GPO is one of several post offices at which we have continuous air quality monitors. There are indications that mould is a concern.”

History

The General Post Office is the oldest post office in the Cayman Islands. According to the ‘History of the Cayman Islands Post Offices’, written by Ivan Burges, the first George Town Post Office opened on 12 April, 1889, but the current building was constructed in 1939.

Built by Captain Rayal Bodden, who also built the George Town Public Library, Town Hall and Elmslie Memorial Church. The General Post Office and the library were constructed simultaneously.

The National Trust for the Cayman Islands’ register of historical sites in the Cayman Islands, notes that, “The money for these projects, as well as a long-vanished marketplace on Cardinall Avenue, assembly halls and schools, was obtained through a £6,500 loan approved by the Jamaican government in July 1938.”

Of that £6,500 loan, the General Post Office cost about £2,000 to build. The ‘1938 Annual Report on the Social and Economic Progress of the People of the Cayman Islands,’ states “The project is the largest ever undertaken in the dependency.”

The National Trust register goes on to say that, “In addition to the post office, the building originally contained the Treasury, Government Savings Bank and Customs House.”

In his book, Burges noted, “In 1973, the post office took over the entire space and remodeled the interior of the building.”