U.S. Postal Service officials plan to attend tonight's Hampstead Town Council meeting to recommend a site for a new post office.

The 3,600-square-foot post office at 4005 Houck Ave. is inadequate because of expected growth in population and mail services, postal officials said.

Mayor Christopher M. Nevin and the five-member council had urged postal officials to place a new post office in the vacant former elementary school, a centerpiece of the town since 1917.

Nevin said the town received a letter from postal officials in March saying the school site was not viable.

Postal officials favor one of two sites north of Hampstead's downtown business district, Nevin said.

Postal officials will be seeking community opinions of their recommendation, he said.

At a public hearing in December, David Bradshaw, manager of administrative services for the Baltimore District of the Postal Service, told the council that a 2.5-acre site was needed for the proposed 14,000-square-foot post office.

The building is expected to be completed by late next year, Bradshaw said.

To accommodate a heavy agenda, the council meeting was set for 7 p.m., officials said.

Manchester council to meet

The Manchester Town Council is expected to adopt tonight a tighter ordinance regulating unlicensed vehicles.

After the meeting, the council will conduct a workshop to discuss the town budget for fiscal 2000, which begins July 1. The workshop is open to the public.

A public hearing on the budget is tentatively scheduled for May 11.