The building housing the Powell Butte Post Office goes on the auction block Saturday, but the U.S. Postal Service says don’t worry, the post office will remain open for business even if the building comes under new ownership.

Realty Marketing/Northwest is offering the 713-square-foot building and accompanying 1.24 acres with no minimum bid required, according to its 2014 Spring Auction Catalog.

“It’s one of the most popular properties we’ve offered in 28 years of being in business,” said the firm’s president, John Rosenthal. “Thirty-five people have inquired about the property and we expect some competitive bidding.”

Jeld-Wen Inc., the owner, paid $169,000 for the property in 2006, according to Crook County records online.

Bidding for this and several other properties — including the Nu-Vu Motel, in Biggs Junction, and a 1-acre home lot in Sun Forest Estates about 10 miles southeast of La Pine — starts at noon Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel at the Portland International Airport.

With ownership of the post office building comes the opportunity to renegotiate the post office lease, now $725 a month, Rosenthal said. The wedge-shaped acreage at state Highway 126 and Bozarth Road is zoned for commercial development.

The post office may move this year to reduced hours, likely six hours daily, Monday through Friday, said Ernie Swanson, Postal Service corporate communication specialist in Seattle. First, the Postal Service plans to survey Powell Butte customers and hold a public meeting in the summer to discuss the survey and outline its plans. Foot traffic is down at the post office, one reason the Postal Service may reduce its hours, he said.

“If everything moves forward, we’re probably looking at changing the hours around October of this year,” Swanson said.

Also available for auction the same day is the Nu-Vu Motel, one of four properties for sale at Biggs Junction, where Interstate 84 meets U.S. Highway 97 at the Columbia River.

Sammi Tsubota built the 18-unit motel, now property of Bishop Services Inc., in 1962 to capitalize on traffic crossing the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge, which opened the same year, said Richard Lafever, a Bishop employee who managed the motel for several years. Tsubota sold the hotel to Bishop around 1998; the motel lies adjacent to the Pilot Travel Center that opened in 2000, he said.

“I was kind of surprised to see it was on the auction,” Lafever said.

Reserve prices for the four Biggs Junction properties together add up to $597,500, although the properties are available separately. The Nu-Vu Motel minimum bid is set at $275,000, according to the auction catalog.

— Reporter: 541-617-7815, jditzler@bendbulletin.com