The Venetia Post Office in Peters is expected to undergo a major expansion soon, but it may be only the first step to a townshipwide postal designation.

The U.S. Postal Service recently closed the bidding process for a new location to rebuild the post office or for an existing building to rent space.

At issue is the size of the current office, located on Venetia Road.

The Postal Service rents about 1,152 square feet of office space from Edward and Garnet Schultz, who also rent a lower floor in the building to a bakery. The Postal Service is looking for an office closer to 4,000 square feet, more than three times the current size.

The Schultzes were among four bidders who submitted proposals. They are suggesting an expansion of the present office with an addition to the building. The identity and proposals of other bidders is unknown.

The post office has been at the site since 1980, becoming more and more cramped as Peters experienced a residential construction explosion that has since made it the most populous municipality in Washington County, with more than 21,000 residents.

In the Venetia area, the population has increased by more than 21 percent in recent years, with new housing developments popping up faster than weeds.

The post office serves about 10 square miles with six rural routes.

"That's our busiest growing area," township Manager Michael Silvestri said of Venetia.

Peters is split approximately in half between residents living in Venetia and McMurray, many of whom have wondered why the area doesn't have a single postal designation.

Residents living in the McMurray area are served by the Canonsburg Post Office, while those living on the Venetia side of the township have a different ZIP code and an address of Venetia, Pa.

Peters officials have for years discussed ways to get a single town name and ZIP code in the township, which they want to call "Peters, Pa."

Officials say it would simplify the real estate and wage taxing process and erase confusion for developers and others who want to sell property in the township.

To that end, the township and postal service soon will send out a survey to Venetia residents to determine whether they would favor renaming the location Peters.

Mr. Silvestri said residents living in Venetia would have the option to continue using Venetia in their addresses or opt for Peters.

"It's the first of many steps in a long process to get a townshipwide ZIP code," Mr. Silvestri said.

If residents approve the change, the township could continue to lobby the Postal Service for McMurray to be included in the Venetia/Peters ZIP code, although it's a "long shot" at this point, according to Mr. Silvestri.

Internal roadblocks in the Postal Service, such as union issues and concerns over whether urban and rural postal routes should be combined, make it unlikely that the township would get its own ZIP code right now, Mr. Silvestri said.

"We're trying to consolidate as much as possible," Mr. Silvestri said.

The township conducted a similar survey eight years ago, but residents shot down the idea of change, saying they preferred to remain Venetia.

"We went through this once already," said Venetia resident Sharon DeSantis, who opposes a name change.

"It's a prestigious name," she said of Peters. "You say you live in Peters, it's like la-de-da, but you say you live in Venetia, and it's like, 'Where's that?' I think it's a status thing."

Mrs. DeSantis said she likes the name Venetia and describes herself as a "die-hard Venetianite."

The Postal Service is now reviewing bids to determine whether to rebuild, relocate or expand, said Pittsburgh district spokesman Tad Kelley.

Mr. Kelley said postal officials will conduct a site review of contending properties between July and August. Notification of final selection is expected to be made public in mid- to late September, in hopes of finalizing plans by the end of the year.