Norton Asks U.S. Postal Service for Listing of All Post Offices in D.C. with Expiring Leases to Avoid Surprise Closures
Norton Asks U.S. Postal Service for Listing of All Post Offices in D.C. with Expiring Leases to Avoid Surprise Closures
Norton evaluating first possible closing in city
November 10, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) on Wednesday sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and District of Columbia Postmaster Gerald Roane asking for a list of all District of Columbia post offices that have leases expiring before January 1, 2013. Norton has been closely monitoring the progress of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) Expanded Access Study List to determine if any of the 19 District post offices on that list will be closed. Norton asked for the lease information after being told by the Postal Service that the post office at Wallach and 14th Streets, NW (near 14th and T) was not slated for closure, but learned later that its lease expires in February 2012. Norton continues in her view that District residents must have convenient access to postal services. Because the "T Street Post Office" is not on the Expanded Access Study List, she will insist that the USPS find a new location for it in the neighborhood before the lease expires so residents are properly served without interruption.
Norton asked for the list of all post offices with expiring leases to avoid any surprise possible closures and to be certain that expiring leases will not become an excuse for closures. In her letter, Norton said, "Through their own due diligence, or perhaps by speaking to USPS employees, some of my constituents were able to get the relevant information, while your office indicated nothing about the possibility of an expiring lease to my staff. It is unacceptable for the USPS to offer less than complete information at a time when Americans throughout the country are worried about the closing of their neighborhood post offices."
Norton also noted that the Postal Service will hold the first public meeting today, November 10, at 5:30 p.m., to discuss the possible closing of a post office in the District. Norton staff will attend the meeting at the Benning Post Office in the East River Park Shopping Center. Norton said that the timeline for reviewing post offices on the Expanded Access Study List is long and complicated, ensuring no closings in the foreseeable future. The process includes sending out questionnaires to residents, holding public meetings, issuing notice of a proposed closing with a 60-day public comment period, and significant internal evaluation between each step. Any final decision to close a facility also would be appealable to the Postal Regulatory Commission. Norton continues to insist that if there must be closings, neighborhood post offices should be spared over those located in federal buildings.
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November 9, 2011
The Honorable Patrick R. Donahoe
Postmaster General
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW
Washington DC 20260-0010
Gerald Roane
Postmaster, Washington, DC
900 Brentwood Road, NE
Washington, DC 20066-9998
Dear Postmaster General Donahoe and Postmaster Roane:
District of Columbia residents called a Council member's office this week to inquire about rumors of the imminent closure of two post offices in the District: the Kalorama post office, which is on the Expanded Access Study List (EASL), and the post office at Wallach and 14th Streets NW, which is not on the EASL. When we called the United States Postal Service (USPS) yesterday to inquire, we were told that there was no information to support the rumors, except that the Kalorama post office is on the EASL and that no decision has been made. We subsequently learned that the post office on Wallach and 14th Streets NW, although not on the EASL, has a lease that expires in February 2012.
Through their own due diligence, or perhaps by speaking to USPS employees, some of my constituents were able to get the relevant information, while your office indicated nothing about the possibility of an expiring lease to my staff. It is unacceptable for the USPS to offer less than complete information at a time when Americans throughout the country are worried about the closing of their neighborhood post offices.
Given the considerable concern that District residents felt upon learning the 19 postal facilities in the city (including some in federal facilities) are on the EASL, we must give residents the most current information as soon as it is available. Please provide me a list of all post offices in the District that have leases expiring between November 9, 2011 and December 31, 2012, along with the expiration dates. I ask that you provide this information within 30 days from the date of this letter.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton