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Youngstown's North Siders: Don’t close our post office
By robert Guttersohn
Youngstown
A proposal to shut down the North Side U.S. Postal Service Station drew about 30 residents and postal workers Friday to a community meeting downtown.
They voiced their concerns with the proposal — and also the location of the meeting.
“We want another meeting on the North Side,” said Jamie Hayes, a North Side resident, criticizing the decision to have the meeting at the United Methodist Community Center, 139 E. Boardman St.
She called having a meeting downtown over a matter that would affect North Side residents “disrespectful.”
“You’d see a lot more people here if you had it on the North Side,” she said.
The post office at 1716 Guadalupe Ave. is one of 1,365 targeted to close in an attempt by the postal service to return to solvency.
According to the figures provided by USPS, the North Side post office has seen a decline in use and revenue over the past four years. And because, the post office says, there are nine alternate sites within 3 miles to both buy stamps and send packages, the study conducted by USPS identified the branch as a place that could close.
The residents disagree.
“The post office is in the middle of a vibrant neighborhood,” said Hayes. “We did good by getting a grocery store in the city. Now you want to take away our post office.”
Valeria Goncalves said there are other communities in the Valley such as Austintown or Boardman whose residents “have the means to go elsewhere,” as opposed to many North Side residents who rely on public transportation.
Harry Myer, the manager of marketing for northern Ohio, said the study on possible closures looked strictly at data and did not account for the community impact. For that, he urged residents to write down their concerns on forms located within the North Side post office. He said the concerns will be considered in the decision-making, which won’t be made at least until a moratorium on post-office closings is lifted May 15.
“You need to write it down so it gets on the public record,” he said.
Richard Law, another North Side resident, said he spends up to $30,000 a year shipping computer parts for his small business through the North Side post office.
Is USPS “closing its way to prosperity?” Law questioned. “Where does it end?”
He also questioned the study’s findings of nine alternate sites. Of the nine, only three offer full postal service, and two offer post- office boxes. The rest sell stamps.
“I can go on the corner and sell stamps,” Law said. “And I’m not an alternative to a post office.”