YAKIMA -- For months now, workers at a Cle Elum Post Office have been handling mail outside despite freezing weather conditions.
In mid-September, a pipe burst in the post office located on East 1st Street in Cle Elum, causing the building to flood.
"The people that are working there are working in some pretty extreme conditions, and I'm just thankful that they are doing their job to help service," Kittitas County Commissioner, Laura Osiadacz, said.
Since then, postal workers have been stationed outside, handing people their mail in an alley behind the building.
Inside the building, a majority of the carpet has been ripped up leaving bolts sticking out of the ground.
Parts of the walls are torn off and baseboards have been removed throughout the lobby area.
After the post office was flooded, officials say inspectors found asbestos throughout the building, making it hazardous to breathe.
Due to all of the damage, workers have had to sort and hand out mail in a van and shipping containers in the rain, snow and freezing temperatures for nearly four months.
Just last week workers were outside in negative temperatures trying to get work done.
Today they were slogging through puddles of standing water and melting snow.
"These conditions are just not acceptable to have our workers work in," Osiadacz said.
David Rupert, a spokesperson with the United States Postal Service says since they don't own the building, they aren't able to go inside until the landlord has fixed the repairs.
"The Postal Service is continuing to work with the property owner regarding the damage abatement and building repairs. We are eager to restore regular service for the community. USPS is grateful both to our customers for their patience and to our employees who continue to service them during this period," Rupert said.
In addition to many emails from community members, Congresswoman Kim Schrier also sent out a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
In the letter she wrote, "I strongly urge the Postal Service to expedite the process of relocating the post office to an indoor location. Employees have been working diligently in frigid conditions as repair plans have dragged on for months, and these hardworking public servants deserve better."
Despite public outcry, it's unclear when repairs are going to happen.
Osiadacz says she's been working closely with Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce to see if they are able to temporarily move the post office to a different location. "We'd like to see them move as quickly as possible for not only the working conditions, for both the people that work at the Cle Elum post office, but also for the people that are receiving their mail. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a timeline that has been shared with the county."