Methuen has long needed a bigger, better post office. The current one on Broadway is too small and has limited parking.

But the U.S. Postal Service's response to years of requests from residents and city officials for improved customer service has been little more than yeah, well ... whatever.

The downtown post office at 272 Broadway has just two service windows and limited parking, with 11 spots in its lot and three more — at best — on the street. That's clearly insufficient for a city of 45,000 people. The line of postal customers often extends out the door. Residents and city leaders have been clamoring for more than a decade for improved service. Those pleas have largely fallen on deaf ears.

Now, Methuen has a chance for improved mail service. The postal service's lease on its building expires in 2009. City leaders are doing what they can to encourage the post office to relocate to a better site.

"Primarily we want easier access, more convenience and additional parking," Mayor William Manzi told reporter Stephanie Chelf. "It could also be the potential linchpin to spur co-development and help in areas where we're making progress now."

Unfortunately, the postal service's enthusiasm for a move has been underwhelming.

"We're happy where we are," spokesman Bob Boisselle told our reporter. "The city is interested in finding a new location and, naturally, we're listening to them. We'll wait and see what they come up with. We've made no decisions."

The postal service won't pay for a new building, so it's up to the city to find a more convenient location that's ready to lease on agreeable terms. The mayor is looking at opportunities downtown with a developer or building owner to provide the postal service with a new home at little or no cost. Manzi sees a new post office as a development opportunity.

The postal service's attitude toward its Methuen customers is a symptom of its government-backed monopoly on standard mail service. After more than a decade of complaints from its customers, the postal service will reluctantly move, if someone else does the legwork. Otherwise, the post office will continue to offer the same lousy service from its undersized facility.

Were it not for the postal service's ironclad control of nonurgent mail service, private carriers such as FedEx and UPS would have long ago run it out of business.

The U.S. Postal Service ought to have more respect for the needs of its customers in Methuen. That starts by recognizing that the service it currently provides is inadequate. The postal service should take an active role in assisting city leaders with a search for more convenient and functional quarters.