July 2, 2009

POSTAL SERVICE MAY CLOSE 5 BRANCHES

By James Tinley, Register Staff

Five post offices in the New Haven area have been identified by the U.S. Postal Service for possible closure and consolidation as the cash-strapped postal service looks for ways to save money.

The five area post offices are on a list released Wednesday that includes 13 post office branches identified as being studied for possible closure in the New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford and Stamford areas.

"We have about 150 stand-alone post offices (in Connecticut). In some of our largest metro areas, like New Haven, we have stations and branch operations that are like a satellite office," said Maureen P. Marion, a postal service spokeswoman.

It is these smaller satellite offices that the postal service is considering closing to consolidate operations in an effort to effect savings.

"That is part of the consolidation concept, that you need a couple different places (in one area) available to consolidate," Marion said. "The larger areas have more options to fold or bend."

The Kilby Station post office on Washington Avenue and the Westville Station post office on Fountain Street, both in New Haven, along with the Trolley Square Branch on Main Street in East Haven, the Baybrook Station post office on Ocean Avenue in West Haven and the Mount Carmel Carrier Annex in Hamden are all being considered for consolidation.

The possible consolidations are part of a nationwide effort to reduce costs as the U.S. Postal Service's bottom line gets battered by the recession and more people turning to the Internet.

The U.S. Postal Service in June was projecting a loss exceeding $6 billion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

Postal service officials will weigh factors including proximity to other post offices, revenue, parking and input from the community when deciding whether to close a branch.

"There is no preset notion, and there is no insurance that everything in New Haven would be part of a consolidation," Marion said.

John Dirzius, the Greater Connecticut Area American Postal Workers Union president, could not be reached Wednesday afternoon to discuss the effects any closures would have on employees.

State Rep. Patricia Dillon, D-New Haven, said she "strongly objects" to closing the Westville post office.

"The Westville post office is in a historic district and has WPA art in there," she said. "It's a charming little building. It has significance, and it's also convenient. It's very convenient for the businesses in the Westville district," she said.

Lonnie Thompson, who works construction in the Westville area and typically gets paid in cash, said he doesn't get much of a break at work and relies on running to the Westville post office to convert his cash to money orders.

"I'm counting on it staying here, man," Thompson said. "I don't like to carry a lot of cash; I don't like to even carry a $20 bill."

Veronica Haynes of Westville said a branch closure would be an inconvenience for her, but would really be a blow to elderly people in the area who have difficulty getting around.

Some residents, however, are unfazed by the possible closure of post offices because they handle most of their correspondence through the Internet and rarely use "snail' mail."

"I pay all my bills online, and if I mail something, I do it from work," said 24-year-old Megan Clukey, who recently moved to Westville. "I hate to say it, but if the post office closes, it doesn't really bother me.

Register reporter Elizabeth Benton contributed to this article. James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com or 789-5702.