New Haven Independent

Hill, Westville: Keep Our Mail Here

by Paul Bass | July 2, 2009 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

“Please don’t let them close this post office!” Lottie Poindexter pleaded.

She was picking up her mail, on Washington Avenue near Columbus in the Hill. Just as she does every other day. She comes over from work at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she has worked for 32 years. She doesn’t see why things have to change.

The U.S. Postal Service has other ideas.

It aims to cut a $6 billion deficit by Sept. 30, the end of its fiscal year. So it’s considering closing small neighborhood post offices — including two beloved branches in New Haven, the Kilby Branch that Lottie Poindexter calls home, and the historic Westville branch on Fountain Street, built in the Depression under the Works Progress Administration. (One of those WPA murals remains on the wall in the main public area.)

The list of possible station closings, released Wednesday, is not set in stone, according to Maureen Marion, the postal service’s Northeast regional spokeswoman.

She said this is a preliminary list of possible stations to close. In coming weeks the postal service will study the sites further in order to make a final decision. It has no set deadline; Marion called Oct. 1 “a good kind of finger-in-the-wind date.”

She didn’t have details on why these two specific New Haven branches were identified. Asked where readers could give input on the decision, she said to wait a week or so. At that point the postal service will distribute surveys to customers of the targeted branches, she said. There may or may not be community meetings.

One local politician, New Haven State Rep. Pat Dillon, said she’d like to see local elected officials fight the closing plan. She said it doesn’t make sense. Like the state’s plan to widen Whalley Avenue, this one “encourages automobile use,” she noted.

And the closings will further reduce the postal service’s business — when it needs to find ways to build is market instead, Dillon argued.

“Rather than close, why not have good bike racks and look at parking, and the design and overall street access to the building? Tie it in to other local uses. Why not look at multi use? Maybe put seating in there. It’s small and Americans aren’t very good at designing small spaces. But we should be. How about installing bigger P.O. boxes, or an internet cafe there, at least one public computer to retrieve email?”

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro also raised concerns Thursday about the potential closings.

“E-mail and online statements, as well as the economic recession, have compounded
the financial challenges facing the U.S. Postal Service,” she said in a statement issued by her office.

“[H]owever the direction they are moving in, including potential branch closures and consolidations, raises concerns, especially as there seem to be other alternatives available. While I have not yet reviewed the full details of their proposal, I look forward to doing so, as well as working with the members of the communities, mayors, town chairs and the Postal Service to determine the best course of action.”

A steady stream of customers at both branches reacted to the news Thursday with sentiments like Lottie Poindexter’s. They wondered if “someone” could intervene to preserve the tradition of the family-like, familiar urban neighborhood branch where people without cars can walk. Where staffers you know for decades help you out. Where you can keep a steady address if you move around, or a safe depository for your mail.

Seniors bemoaned the loss of a branch within walking distance. Herman Hyatt, a 79-year-old retired USRAC machinist, is one of them. He has been walking to pick up his mail at the Fountain Street branch for the past 15 years. He wouldn’t be able to walk to the next nearest branch, the Amity post office in a shopping plaza on Whalley Avenue.

Staffers at both post offices, too, said they hope the postal service changes its mind. They worry about what jobs they can move to. And they would miss the customers they have seen, in some cases, every day or week for decades. Al Brown has worked at Kilby Station, around the corner from the under-construction Clemente School, for 25 years. He has known some of the regulars since they were little kids. “They’re bringing in their own kids now.”

“We’re still like the old-time people. We go the extra mile,” said Brown’s colleague behind the counter, Cheryl Dickerson. She contrasted the small branches to the “impersonal” regional full-service offices like Brewery Street’s, where Kilby’s customers would largely go.

“I love the people here. They are friends, you know? I’ve been knowing them for years,” said Alva Henderson, who mails her letters in person at the Kilby branch. Her husband keeps a post office box at the branch, too, for his elderly mother.

John Ramey made his regular stop Thursday at Kilby to check the post office box of an elderly uncle whom he cares for.

Richard Lebov showed up with his usual stack of mail. He has been using the neighborhood station for 40 years, as it has moved through several spots. “I pick up my mail here twice a day” for his company, Supreme Storage Trailer Co., he said. “I send out a few thousand pieces of mail a month.” Levy runs the Boulevard Development Association, whose 22 businesses rely on the branch.

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Posted by: John | July 2, 2009 2:30 PM

It seems that not a lot of thought has gone into the list closings; what, exactly, are the criteria?

Removing a post office like the Westville branch would destroy one of the stabler pillars upon which the Westville downtown can always count and which makes it a pleasant and interesting place within the city overall. Plus, its interior is one of a kind; the same cannot be said at the "seen one, you've seen 'em all" strip-mall branch farther up Whalley.

Posted by: anon | July 2, 2009 2:41 PM

A station in the middle of downtown would really be helpful. You don't know how many car trips are created and how much time is wasted by office workers who are forced to drive out to Brewery Square or walk all the way to the Yale PO.

Maybe in the recently-closed Ann Taylor Loft, or in the new 360 State Street tower?

Posted by: East Rock | July 2, 2009 3:22 PM

Anon- I think there is one on lower chapel almost at State Street. Unless I am mistaken and it has closed.

Posted by: nfjanette | July 2, 2009 3:49 PM

A station in the middle of downtown would really be helpful.

Like this one:

http://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=521

We've made so much "progress" that we don't have a post office downtown.

Posted by: anon | July 2, 2009 3:50 PM

Is that a full service station?

Posted by: Eva Geertz | July 2, 2009 4:26 PM

the post office situation in New Haven has just been messed up -- I mean, more than one would normally expect -- since the PO at the Federal building closed. The storefront on Chapel St. is not and never was full service, to the best of my knowledge (I'm not sure it still exists, since I gave up on it the day I discovered I couldn't buy postage there); and Yale Station isn't exactly commonly known to be a public post office. What's more, signage on it states that it's not public space. So it scares people away.
Hall-Benedict has a tiny post office for mailing things but no PO boxes. One of the few things I've envied of those who live in Westville is their little full-service post office. If that closes -- which I hope it won't -- then I'll have even less reason to think about living over there.
It's quite pathetic that the postal service can't get SOMEthing decent going downtown. Postal rates go up and up, and yet... we all need the postal service, and -- another yet -- we have fewer and fewer ways to get access to the services we need as postal customers. If I may say so, rather ineloquently, This sucks.

Posted by: anon | July 2, 2009 5:21 PM

Agree, Eva. Where's Rosa DeLauro on this?

Posted by: City Hall | July 2, 2009 6:17 PM

PLEASE PLEASE PRINT THIS SICK STORY AFTER TAXPAYERS WERE SOAKED BY PAYING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS TO KEEP JOHN'S AND BOISE'S RELATIONSHIP STRONG!
41 pay raises given
after city layoffs
Union members, those laid off
outraged

Updated: Thursday, 02 Jul 2009, 5:31 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 02 Jul 2009, 5:20 PM EDT

* Story by: Erin Cox

New Haven (WTNH) - Several members of New Haven Mayor John DeStefano's executive staff will be receiving a pay raise. Some are getting a double digit pay increase even after the city's layoffs.

The news of these pay raises hurts Robyn Odei-Ntiri who was laid off after 19-years as a city employee

"I don't get that, not when they laid off us saying there was no money to keep us," said Odei-Ntiri. "How do you have the money for raises if you don't have money to keep your people who were long-time employees?"

In turn, 41 of the mayor's executive staff are getting raises. Among those seeing a pay hike is the fire and assistant fire chief, parks director, health director and chief administrative officer.

The Head of Human Resources Emmet Hibson said it's to recognize their hard work.

"The reality is this group gave back pay raises two years in a row," said Hibson.

It was February when the city laid off over 30 employees to help fill a budget hole. Two labor unions agreed to concessions, actually giving back their pay raises to save jobs. Now, Jack Mesner said the 70 blue-collar workers in his local union feel betrayed.

"They cried poor mouth to us and here they are taking the money we gave back," said Mesner.

The average raise is about three percent. But there are four people getting a double digit pay hike; including a 12 percent pay increase for a city lawyer.

"It was done to increase their wages along the lines of other people in the same class," Hibson said.

Meanwhile, Odei-Ntiri is still out of work. Her question to city hall is, "If you have money for pay raises, do you have money to bring us back; those of us that got laid off? Cause I would love my job back."

Some of those getting a pay raise already earn over $100,000 a year. And, the total amount of pay raises equals out to $111,000.

The pay raise is effective come next week's pay check.

Posted by: Josh Smith | July 2, 2009 6:54 PM

Why would they even think of closing the PO in the middle of Westville before the strip mall one on Whalley that's out in the middle of nowhere? The Whalley PO is almost inaccessible by foot or by bike, and with the new southbound lane that will open up on that road in about a year, the situation will worsen. Westville needs more things that the residents there can walk to, not less. I hope the USPS changes their minds and closes the "strip mall PO" on Whalley instead of the Westville one.

Posted by: jack | July 2, 2009 11:21 PM

So these are the people we want to run our health care and energy industry? Simply amazing.

Posted by: Nan Bartow | July 3, 2009 1:23 PM

Westvillians, Has anyone formed a petition to protest the proposed closing of the Westville Post Office? If so, please tell us where it is located so we can all sign it.

Posted by: john | July 3, 2009 2:33 PM

nan,

you got me thinking. what about the westville alliance? let's all try:

http://www.westvillect.org

(203) 285-8539
executivedirector@westvillect.org

Posted by: john | July 3, 2009 3:14 PM

FYI to all, the email I sent to the Westville Ren. director bounced. Phone may be the better option.

Posted by: strangerthanfiction | July 3, 2009 10:25 PM

Where oh where has the downtown post office station gone? As people have said, the one in the federal building was unbelievably cut and never replaced! It's really unthinkable that New Haven no longer has a postal service center in downtown. Visitors are stunned when they learn there's no place to mail a package downtown, unless they walk over to Yale. Bad for business, bad for livability, bad for image. What brilliant master plan called for eliminating the downtown post office??!

Posted by: anon | July 5, 2009 9:33 PM

The Yale PO is technically open to the public. Can we get Yale and/or the PO to install a huge sign at the corner of Elm and High (as well as large directional signs at High and Chapel and Elm and College), at least until a proper downtown post office is opened?

Posted by: NHer | July 6, 2009 5:03 PM

This just doesn't make sense, and it will place an even greater burden on the existing post office branches. Since the Orange Street post office closed, I most frequently use the Yale Station - and by the way, what happened to all the stamp machines? - but it is always busy, there are too few workers there to help with the heavy volume of customers, and it's never clean. To have only one post office downtown - especially with the new building on Chapel and State going up and the continued efforts to encourage people to live and work downtown and in the vicinity - seems strange enough to me, but if these two branches close, the additional stress on the one services of the one post office downtown will be even greater and more problematic. I like the idea of adding additional uses to these two branches. If one of the most appealing things about them is the sense of community, why not find a way to capitalize on that?

Posted by: Our Town | August 13, 2009 10:03 AM

This is really a vicious cycle. Internet bill paying...lower mail volume...removal of blue boxes...lower mail volume...higher postal rates...lower mail volume...closing post offices...lower mail volume. Next, no Saturday delivery...lower mail volume.
Soon the wizards at the USPS will be cost saving themselves completely out of business. Every move they make serves to hurt their business more.

Hill, Westville: Keep Our Mail Here

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