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Regarding the potential closure of the East End Post Office
01/18/2012 5:21 PM by John M
There is a meeting tonight at 6PM at the East End Post Office (414 North 25th Street) to discuss the proposed closure of the location.
A long line/long wait is better than no line/no wait. I will be really sad if this post office closes.
Work prevents me from attending this meeting. I hope whoever does attend will take a minute to update the rest of us. thanks in advance.
I gave up going there after too too many frustrations & drive to the one on chamberlayne instead. It would be a big problem for those without cars though. Knowing its a mess, i wonder why can’t they improve rather than close it?
I went to the meeting, but it has been postponed until Feb. 15th, so that the entire community can be notified by mail. They are doing a 60-day study to determine whether this office should close and the meeting will be used to gauge the impact closing it would have on the neighborhood.
So, it sounds like we should all block off Feb 15th on our calendars. As horrendous as this post office might be, the Hill definitely needs one. Perhaps if we all show our support they’ll actually put some money/attention towards this location?
Several months ago one of the attendants (who was actually very nice!) told me she hoped they could get new blinds, remove the bullet proof glass, and generally fix the place up if they got just a little more money.
Bottom line: not a lost cause yet! 🙂
Call Bobby Scott. Every two bit politician from here to Peoria can save a post office. (202) 225-8351
I have a po box and use this post office all the time. I had to wait for a po box to become available before I could get one. There’s always a line, partially because there is only one clerk, but also because this location is well used. I’d love to see it cleaned up. We need a post office in Church Hill.
Thanks, Hill Pal, for attending and updating us. #7 Houdon, excellent point – I agree and will call Bobby Scott tomorrow. #8 I agree, it IS well used – and to everyone who thinks it serves those residents without cars, I could not agree more. This location serves an area that includes many low income citizens, and without this post office, I don’t really know where they’d go. There is a post office down on Williamsburg Road, but it’s not within walking distance by a long shot. Yes, this location needs to be cleaned up – it’s needed that for a long time. But it’s better than nothing, and I really hope it isn’t closed.
The big picture is that the USPS is bleeding money and business as usual can not be sustained. If everyone loves the post office so much, we should be debating how to find a sustainable solution.
Rank your preferences. 1. Cutting Saturday deliveries. 2. Post Office only opened three days a week. 3. Charge more for postage and PO boxes. 4. Start selling adult beverages to people waiting in line to help make the wait tolerable and generate additional revenue. Times have changed and USPS needs to adapt.
OK, call Bobby Scott. Will do. I’m one of the lucky folks who can go to the post office at off-hours, and usually avoid the lines. The staff works hard to meet my needs, and I appreciate that.
I also have empathy for neighbors who rely on the p-o for money orders to pay their rent and monthly expenses. Checking accounts cost money, and for some folks, that money is better spent on food/shelter.
There is heavy foot traffic every time I go to this PO, which indicates to me that it is needed. I really believe the PO on 25th benefits this neighborhood. I haven’t been in a PO in the last 2 years that didn’t have long lines and I’ll happily take standing in line for 10 minutes over driving 10 minutes to another office.
Although I typically use the Hopkins Road PO because it’s close to my office, I’m grateful the 25th Street one is there when I need it, long lines or no. Fulton Hill lost their PO years ago, and it was a big deal for them. If we lose the Church Hill PO, the nearest one will be what, downtown on 2nd Street?
I realize that the USPS is short of money, but can’t this location “atleast” try and replacing the pens,or fix the copier machine or fix the stamp machine? And some of you folks want this type of service in the health care industry? LMAO!!!
While I would miss the convenience of having a post office located two blocks from my home, the USPS needs to make decisions that make the most financial sense.
Think about it this way: If this location closes, the property (the building and parking lot next door) could become a redevelopment opportunity.
Lora #13, the next closest one would be either the one on 2nd St. or the one at 7th and Main, but they were both on the list I saw that said they might be closed. I think the next one would be the sorting center out off Williamsburg Road. The problem, aside from people using electronic bill paying and other services such as FedEx and UPS, is that congress mandated the postal service to pay forward retiree health benefits for 75 years.
I agree, the post office does need to consolidate so it can get profitable. It’s unfortunate that some locations will have to close.
#16 is correct that a lot of the problems the PO is facing are due to retirement benefits that they had to pay ahead. Congress wanted to hook up the public employee unions and make sure that they got theirs before the ship sank. As a result, the ship is now more likely than ever to sink. We get screwed as a result. Such is life…
Only in the United States would people be arguing that an entity that so clearly serves a public purpose should be profitable.
Congress needs to kick in the money to make sure that the U.S. has a viable postal service, and part of ensuring its viability is protecting access to post offices in city centers.
The post office shouldn’t have to be profitable, especially at the expense of crucial services for people without the ability to travel to other (read: suburban) post offices.
As for redevelopment, we don’t need more “redevelopment” space. Church Hill is overflowing with it, and and it’s called blight. All you have to do is look right next door to the post office.
I got a survey in the mail today about this post office and the potential closing. It came with a letter that said you can mail it back or bring it with you if you come to the meeting on Feb. 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the post office on 25th Street. Postal officials will be there to discuss the potential closing at that time. Seems like a confirmation of what has already been posted.
A neighbor alerted me today to this article in the RTD about our post office:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/2012/jan/24/tdmet01-michael-paul-williams-ar-1634298/
From the link above:
What bothers me the most about this post office is that the revenue would be greater if there were a postal stamp machine and one of those self-serve machines that lets you weigh and mail a package. Many of us have to do all those things but we do it closer to our jobs because our local post office has one line and no self-service available.
UrbanPioneer, you speak the truth!
I think at least a few of us should try to attend the meeting on Feb. 15, with a copy of the stuff John posted from the link, about the high incidence of people without cars in the immediate area. I’d also like UrbanPioneer to attend and point out the need for stamp machines, etc or Hill Pal who went to the other meeting. I’ll try to attend – I’ve got it on my calendar. I’m thinking that the people in the hood who don’t have cars also don’t have an easy way to get to the meeting, and most likely do not have computers and don’t read this blog, so someone needs to speak for them. Anyone else share any of those thoughts?
They used to have stamp machines years ago, but they were always “out of order” because people either wouldn’t or didn’t know how to use them properly. They would get jammed, or send error messages. Then whoever had lost their money in the machines would slow down overall service by holding up the line needing a refund (required filling out paperwork, etc., and lots of complaining). I asked one of the ladies about this a long time ago and she said that the machines caused more hassles than they were worth. Hard to believe, isn’t it? But I fear that she was correct. God forbid people buy a whole book of stamps at once and use them accordingly.
Clay St. #26 thanks. Maybe we could ask the officials at the meeting if they’ve gotten any idiot proof stamop machines – I used one at the Brook Road post office in the last couple of weeks.
Sorry I meant stamp machines, not stamop machines!
Nooooooo! I love and need this place. The wait times aren’t even bad, when compared to others. I’ll be out of town for the meeting, but hopefully my better half will be attending. She sells antiques online and uses this location frequently.
Stamped Out (Style 1/31)
http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/stamped-out/Content?oid=1661388
What was the outcome for this? Has been a month now since the meetings.
where do I get one of dem Stomp Machines mentioned in 28
#33 Badger – they have one at the Brook Road post office. You put in a credit or debit card and it stomps on it for whatever amount of postage you want. I dunno about getting your own Stomp Machine, though – however if you put your debit card in most any bank ATM, it will stomp on it!
After the service I got at the Post Office today, I would vote for it to be closed and turned into something else.