The Postal Service has a long history of using manufactured problems over lease negotiations to close post offices by emergency suspension, to initiate a discontinuance procedure, and to justify relocations to smaller spaces. The Postal Service typically tells the media that the landlord terminated the lease or the parties couldn’t come to an agreement. Just as typically, the landlord reveals … Read More
Fiasco in Freistatt: How the Post Office Became a Cluster Box
BY MARK JAMISON The Postal Service didn’t think the folks in Freistatt, Missouri, should have a post office, so they closed it. The Postal Service didn’t think the folks in Freistatt, Missouri, should get rural carrier delivery like their neighbors, so they tricked the town into accepting cluster boxes. Now the Postal Service doesn’t think the folks in Freistatt, Missouri, … Read More
Expiring leases send two San Diego post offices off for closure
The Postal Service is in the process of closing two post offices in San Diego, and it’s using the fact that the leases have expired as one of the rationales. Considering that about three out of four post offices in the country are in leased spaces, that explanation puts thousands of post offices at risk every year. The two San … Read More
There’s a fungus among us: Mold strikes a third Illinois post office
On Monday two post offices in Illinois, Alorton and Cahokia, were closed by emergency suspension because mold was discovered in the building. Now a third Illinois facility has been hit. On Tuesday the Dupo post office was also closed after an inspection discover mold in the heating and cooling system. It’s not clear at this time if the mold is spreading, … Read More
No end in Climax: The temporary suspension of the post office goes on and on
The owner of the building that formerly housed the post office in Climax, Georgia, has asked the Postal Regulatory Commission to do something about the de facto closing of the post office last year. Morgan Wolaver, the landlord, has submitted an extensive Memorandum to the PRC arguing that the Postal Service illegally closed the post office and that the Commission … Read More
Dismantling the legacy: More post office suspensions, relocations, and sales
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The Postal Service is continuing its push to dismantle the country’s vast network of brick-and-mortar post offices. Post offices are being suspended over minor lease disputes, historic buildings are being sold to the highest bidder, and retail services are being moved to smaller, usually less convenient locations. Post offices just don’t seem very important to the leadership of the Postal … Read More
We just want our mail: A maximum degree of no postal services in Francitas
Francitas is a small town in south Texas. It’s had a post office since 1911, but no longer. The Postal Service isn’t interested in providing Francitas with a post office anymore, nor with much else either. Since 2011, the town has been hit with two final determinations to close the post office, had the hours reduced to two a day … Read More
Not so good Friday in Freistatt: Post office closed on two days’ notice
The post office in Freistatt, Missouri, closed today — on two days’ notice to customers. The Postal Service says it was unable to negotiate a lease renewal with the landlord, so it declared an emergency suspension. As usual in these cases, the landlord says he was more than willing to reduce the rent and make other accommodations, but his efforts, … Read More
The Postal Service shares some lists: Closures, Suspensions, VPOs, CPUs, and Retail Channels
Yesterday the Postal Service provided the Postal Regulatory Commission with some lists and other material for the annual compliance report. They include the post offices that were closed and suspended during fiscal year 2012 (October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012), as well as information about retail revenue sources and Contract Postal Units (CPUs) and Village Post Offices (VPOs). You … Read More
Constructively closed: The emergency suspensions continue
The Postal Service continues to close post offices by emergency suspension over problems renegotiating leases. Many of the problems are caused by the Postal Service. A suspension is an easy way to close a post office — it avoids a lengthy discontinuance process and the possibility of an appeal to the Postal Regulatory Commission, and it makes it look like the closure … Read More
The Postal Service won’t make a commitment: More emergency suspensions over lease problems
The post office in Tamms, Illinois, is on the POStPlan list, and it was supposed to have its hours reduced to six a day. But this week the people in Tamms learned that instead of having its hours cut, their post office will be closing completely. It’s another case of an emergency suspension over a lease issue. There are nearly … Read More
Manufacturing Emergencies: An open letter to the PRC on post office suspensions
BY MARK JAMISON [The following letter was recently sent to the Postal Regulatory Commission and Chairman Goldway in response to issues arising from the implementation of POStPlan.] Dear Chairman Goldway, I am writing to you directly but I hope you will share these comments with the other commissioners. As you are aware, I was very critical of the decision in … Read More
Holler for help: There’s no stopping emergency suspensions
According to a USPS service disruption report issued on November 10, over 330 post offices were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. About 120 were completely shut down, and another 30 had the retail operations suspended. Many of these offices remain closed, but it’s likely they will all eventually reopen once power is restored. The same cannot be said for several other post offices … Read More
Another POStPlan post office hit with suspension, gets the fifth option
The Postal Service has closed another POStPlan post office by emergency suspension. The Postal Service’s reassurances to the Postal Regulatory Commission that it wouldn’t be doing that don’t seem to count for much. A few days ago, we noted the emergency suspension of the post office in Helen, Maryland. It’s on the POStPlan list, set to be downgraded to … Read More
Fork in the Road for POStPlan
The Postal Service has assured the Postal Regulatory Commission on several occasions that it would not use lease problems or staffing issues to close POStPlan post offices by emergency suspension. Yet even before the implementation of POStPlan has officially begun, that seems to be exactly what’s happening. In Helen, Maryland, the post office is set to be reduced to two … Read More
Knife in the back: More tales of emergency suspensions
Tomorrow will be the last day for the Southboro Station post office in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Postal Service is closing the office as an “emergency suspension” due to a “lease expiration.” USPS Handbook PO-101 says the Postal Service has 90 days to find another location or to proceed with a formal discontinuance study, but according to the Palm … Read More