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Postmaster Robert Brown explained that while difficult, the decision to close post offices might lead to improvements in service overall for local residents. “Change may improve service,” Brown said.
Story and photos by Sherry Mazzocchi
Washington Heights residents rallied this past Tues., Oct. 3rd to deliver an urgent message to Robert Brown, the Postmaster of New York, to save the Fort Washington Post Office on West 158th Street from closing.
About 150 residents and local leaders this past week told postal officials that closing the post office would result in a hardship for the elderly and others who frequently use the station’s essential services to buy money orders and stamps and to ship packages. The meeting was held at the Church of the Intercession on West 155th Street.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who was present, told postal officials that 12 percent of the neighborhood residents are senior citizens who would have a difficult time walking uphill to the nearest alternate post office, the Audubon Station on 165th Street
“There is a steep incline going uptown,” he said. “Traveling from 155th Street to 165th Street can be like going to a different state.”
In response, Brown said stamps could be purchased online or at retail stores such as Duane Reade, CVS, or Staples. Residents were quick to point out that none of these retail stores existed in the densely populated neighborhood. Stringer also noted that this was not a neighborhood where every home has a computer, or residents who are computer literate.
“We have not solved the digital divide in this community,” Stringer said.
Northern Manhattan is unique because 46 percent of the residents do not have bank accounts, the borough president said. Money orders are a crucial postal service used by residents.
“I understand that you have to make tough choices,” he told the postmaster, “but part of making tough choices is making smart choices.”
Closing the station will not affect mail delivery because it is delivered by the Audubon Station. The Fort Washington station has 238 post office boxes that might be relocated to a business in the neighborhood. Brown said the post office is seeking to reduce its physical footprint and is studying how they could partner with local businesses to provide alternative services.
“Change may improve service,” Brown argued.
While Brown said that the USPS is still deliberating whether or not to close the 158 Street Station, other residents complained that the decision was already made by a Washington agency deaf to the needs of the local community.
Local resident Evaline White said that the closure was already a “done deal.”
A postal employee who declined to be named for this article said, “Bob Brown told us it would be closing.” The Fort Washington station was selected for closure because the post office leases the space and does not own the property, the employee added.
Nationally, the USPS is seeking to close more than 3,600 post offices, including an estimated 31 locations in New York City. The USPS lost $6.5 billion in 2010, and was projected to lose even more this year. Closing the Fort Washington Station is estimated to save approximately $259,000 annually.
USPS revenue comes primarily from the sale of postage. Losses stem in part from a massive shift from written to digital communications. Nearly 150 million residents receive mail every day, but volume has declined 205 percent since 2006.
But the biggest deficit in the budget comes from a 2006 law mandating that the USPS pre-fund its healthcare benefits to retirees—the only U.S. government agency required to do so. In order to comply with the law, the USPS must set aside an estimated $5.5 billion each year.
Democratic District Leader Maria Luna said residents were angry about the lack of information. Notices about the hearing, she noted, were not displayed at the post office. Letters and questionnaires mailed to local customers were sent only in English, not in Spanish.
Moreover, she and many other residents complained that service at the Audubon Station is inefficient and could not adequately accommodate the overflow from 158th Street. Elderly customers who routinely wait in lines for more than 35 minutes would now be forced to walk uphill and endure still longer waits.
“This is a very serious issue for all of us,” Luna said. “I urge you to reconsider.”
Others noted that seniors often use home attendants for running postal errands and could be put in jeopardy because they will be left unattended for longer periods of time.
Sheila Zukowsky and several other residents complained about the “atrocious” service at the Audubon station.
Even Brown agreed that services needed improvement. “We need to look at the operation and see what’s going on,” he said. “That’s not the type of service we want to provide.”
Residents Jonah Rothschild and Bob Ausubel, both seniors, said they go to the post office several times a week. Rothschild, who walks with a cane, said it is hard for him to go to 165th Street and would need to take a bus to get there. He typically waits in line for 45 minutes to an hour before seeing a postal employee.
“That line goes clear back to the door,” Rothschild said. “You don’t have to do a survey. Just take a look.”
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