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Currently, less than one third of the 6,000-square-foot Post Office facility on East Sandford Boulevard is being utilized, post office officials said. The USPS has proposed moving to a smaller location in the city. Approximately 1,900 square feet are needed to run the post office.
At the Sept. 9 City Council meeting, officials from the USPS will detail the project, answer questions and seek written comments from those in attendance. Written comments will be accepted through Sept. 24.
Following the proposal, members of the community will have a 15-day grace period to present written comments to the USPS.
The Sandford Boulevard Post Office is one of several facilities around the country that are being evaluated for efficiency. The USPS has been facing significant financial problems, due in part to a 25 percent decline in first class mail.
In a cost-cutting measure last summer, the USPS had announced that it would end Saturday mail deliveries across the country, news that upset many Mount Vernon residents at the time. It is estimated that the USPS lost more than $1 billion already this year. The agency scrapped those plans in April after backlash.
“I’ve been coming to this post office for eight years, since I moved here. It’ll be a bit weird if they relocate, but we still need the post office,” Amina Cruz said near the post office. “They have to do what they have to do.”
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