11/14/11

Community speaks out about possible downtown post ofce closure | LoudounTimes.com

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Community speaks out about possible downtown post office closure

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011 by Laura Peters | 17 comments | Email this story

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The Downtown Leesburg post office is located on West Market Street across from the Loudoun County Courthouse. Times-Mirror Photo/Beverly Denny

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Even though the elections are over, Nov. 9 appeared to be another stump for votes when many elected candidates and officials came to speak out on the possible closure of the Downtown Leesburg Post Office. Randy Minchew who was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in the 10th District is also a business owner and resident of Downtown Leesburg. The value of this downtown station is frankly immeasurable. It serves as the largest, fastest growing county government seat in our commonwealth and the largest town in our commonwealth, Minchew said. Youve got one of the fastest growing court systems right across the street. Additionally we have a strong mission to keep the environment sake for historic downtown going. The keeping of the downtown post office is good for local business. Its part of the fabric [of downtown]. Mark Herring (D-33rd) is a resident, owns a law firm in downtown and holds office in the Virginia State Senate. You should not close this post office, certainly not now, Herring said. The strong and vibrant downtown is really important to Leesburg. The post office contributes greatly to the vibrancy and vitality to the downtown. It is an amenity to attracting businesses to downtown and it would be counterproductive to our current policy in trying to promote the downtown if you were to close it. The downtown post office is one of 3,700 potential post office closures within the next year. It is one of two in Loudoun on the list of possible closures, the other being the Dulles Finance Unit in Sterling. Residents first learned about the possible closure in July, and according to Dennis Voorhees, manager of U.S. Post Office operations for the Northern Virginia district and the post office review coordinator, the process of closing offices takes 120 days. The first step is the financial analysis where headquarters decide if the office would make or lose money. Next, officials gather data on the office in question and present a questionnaire to

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money. Next, officials gather data on the office in question and present a questionnaire to residents who would be affected by the closure. After questionnaires are received, there is a community meeting, which was held on Nov. 9. After the meeting a proposal of the closure will be presented and the final determination will be made by the end of December. The downtown post office would have a 30-day notice of closure.
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The proposed closing of the post office would save almost $500,000 within the next 10 years, adding up to almost $47,000 a year. Should the building shut down, workers in the office would be either reassigned to vacant positions or relocated. The cost savings that are factored into that equation are the salary of the workers, utilities of the building and transporting the mail from building to building. Many of the residents, business owners and officials who spoke during the meeting questioned whether the post office on Catoctin Circle in Leesburg could handle the additional traffic it would receive should the downtown post office close. Everyone who spoke said the Catoctin location cant even keep up with the current influx of people. The downtown post office holds more than 600 boxes.

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The downtown office is a lot more convenient than Catoctin Circle, Robert Brown, a resident of Leesburg said. Catoctin Circle is a nightmare and bound to get worse with all these customers to get dumped on Catoctin Circle. Many residents said they enjoy coming to the downtown office because the environment is friendlier with their neighborhood post clerk, Robert Edwards. I live in walking distance of the post office, Christina McLaine, a resident of Leesburg said. I like to go into my post office and see my post master who helps me. I bring my children in there with me. Please keep it open. Voorhees said 35 percent of revenue has been lost in the past three years from the downtown post office. Residents asked how that was possible considering the location of the office is so close to the court system, businesses and lawyers offices? Voorhees also said if the office closes they would try to sell the building. Questions arose as to how they could sell it and what the old post office could be used for with the lack of parking and keeping historic integrity in place. One resident suggested that in order to consolidate both Leesburg post offices would be building one location at the old Barber and Ross site. Growth in that area has reached a hault due to the recession. Most of the concerns surrounding the Catoctin location is access and safety. I purposely leave my office to do my mailing and walk up to the post office so I can deposit the mail in the mailbox where Ive somehow psychologically feel its more secure, Leesburg School Board member Tom Marshall, who owns a real estate company in downtown said. I think listening to your situation here Ive come up with a solution to your problem you keep the post office where everyone can walk to and get rid of the one where no one is safe to go to. Residents who wish to send their comments should address them to P.O. Box 3603, Winchester, Va. 22604 no later than Dec. 21.
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Comments
Sun, Nov 13 at 06:19 AM by bigph | Report this comment Health Resolutions Future Leaders Coming Soon

The article quotes a resident saying the downtown office is more convenient! What? Neither one of them is convenient. The USPS had, at one time, planned to build a new facility, but now its too late. The USPS might as well start closing facilities now and make the politicians put their money where their mouths are. I mean, they say we need spending cuts, save, save, no more taxes, blah blah. Then when it comes time to decide on stuff like this that makes good business sense, they all start crying foul or no, no please sont close it! You pols cant have it both ways anymore! We have to make Tough choices right?!