Post Office to Hold Second Closure Meeting Thursday

(Crystal A. Proxmire, 11/8/2011)

The USPS announced that a meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 6pm to discuss the closing of the Post Office branch in Ferndale (22681 Woodward).  The closure will affect approximately 725 PO Box customers, as well as others who use the location for mailing and stamp purchases.  The meeting will be held at the Kulick Community Center (1201 Livernois).

Patricia Shell-Moody, District Discontinuance Coordinator, says that the district had been looking at 17 locations to be consolidated or closed.  In the previous months since discussions began, six locations have been taken off the list for consideration. Shell-Moody says this is because they will be picking up the customers from neighboring locations that are likely to close.

Brightmore, Highland Park, Seven Oaks, Strathmore, Joyfield and 8 Mile/Livernois have been removed from closing consideration.

In Ferndale, mail is sorted at the 8 Mile/Livernois location and if the Ferndale branch is closed, PO Box customers will be allowed to keep their same PO Box numbers and zip codes, though they will have to go to that location to pick up their mail.  Customers who choose to open a new PO Box at another location will have to get a new address, but their fee will be prorated.  “No closure will occur before January,” Shell-Moody said, “and we give plenty of notice before it happens.”

A prior meeting was held on September 29, 2011 with less than 30 people in attendance.  The Ferndale 115 covered this meeting in great detail, thanks to guest reporter Kris McLonis.  Read about the meeting here.

Shell-Moody said that another meeting was called because union members and residents complained that the discussion should be community-wide, though normally they just inform those with PO Boxes when closures occur.

“We gave 725 notices for the first meeting,” said the District Discontinuance Coordinator.  “I don’t know why nobody showed up.  This time we sent out 12,000.”  The notices were mailed Oct. 21 and dated Oct. 24.

The public meeting is an opportunity for residents to learn how a closure would affect them, and to share their input on a potential closure.