CLIFF ISLAND —The Cliff Island Post Office, which was facing severe reductions in its hours of operation, will remain open for at least six hours a day.

U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (Dem.-Maine) announced late Tuesday afternoon that the United States Postal Service agreed to triple the post office hours.

Initially, the postal service put Cliff Island on the list of post offices to be closed. But it changed its position and agreed to keep the post office open for two hours a day.

Pingree, who lives on the island of North Haven, said that two hours wasn’t long enough to effectively serve residents. She lobbied the postal service and got them to agree to keep Cliff Island open for at least six hours a day.

Cliff Island is served by a ferry, and the two-hour operating schedule didn’t make sense from a fiscal perspective, Pingree said.

“The Post Office is a critical part of island communities. I know that first hand and I was glad we could get the Postal Service to keep Cliff Island open longer,” Pingree said in a press release. “The Post Office in a small town is more than just a place for people to get their mail.”

Pingree is married to S. Donald Sussman, majority share owner of The Portland Press Herald.