Residents in the small town of Kerkhoven, Minn., now have to go to the neighboring town of Murdock to pick up packages and use other services offered by the U.S. Postal Service.

The Postal Service temporarily suspended service at its facility at 903 Atlantic Av. in Kerkhoven because of concerns with the safety of the building, said Postal Service spokeswoman Kristy Anderson.

Retail and post office box operations were moved the 3 miles to Murdock on Thursday to "ensure we continue providing uninterrupted service to our customers," Anderson said.

Kerkhoven is about 110 miles west of Minneapolis on Hwy. 12.

A note on the door of the Kerkhoven post office directed customers to the Murdock post office at 412 Main Av. That location's hours are 8 a.m. to noon weekdays and 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Saturdays.

Kerkhoven customers will need to bring identification to pick up their mail, Anderson said.

A few customers originally were told that mail services would be moved from Kerkhoven to Benson, Minn., but Anderson apologized for the confusion and said that all service was being transferred to Murdock.

It is unclear how long the Kerkhoven facility will be closed. The Postal Service leases the building, and Anderson said it is "working diligently with the landlord to mitigate the safety concern."

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.