43 Mass. Post Office Branches Among Those Facing Threat Of Closure
BOSTON (CBS) - The Newton Upper Falls post office is one of eleven in that city. That puts this branch out on a limb in the eyes of federal officials.
The US Postal Service is looking to trim the fat nationwide by shuttering close to 3,700 locations that aren't busy enough to justify staying open, knowing it'll inconvenience patrons no matter what.
Vali Blackburn works right up the street from the Upper Falls post office. "I come here everyday, sometimes twice a day," she says, admitting it won't be as easy to do her job if this location closes.
Rochelle Stephenson agrees. The convenience of this facility can't be beat, she says, since she too works nearby.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong reports
"And I do a lot of mailing," she says. "So it'll be sad if they do have to close it. That means I'd have to go all the way to Newton Center and fight the traffic."
But the postal service, which lost close to $8.5 billion dollars last year, has to make some changes. That includes the potential closure of 43 Bay State post offices.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports
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"Our volume has just been dropping off tremendously, a dramatic drop off in mail over the past few years," explains Dennis Tarmey, spokesman for the Boston branch of the USPS. "This is not something we want to do, this is something we have to do to remain viable."
Even if a post office is on the closure list, it's not a sure thing. Local postal officials will study the list and decide by December what's closing down.
There will be a chance for community meetings if your post office is slated to shut down.
The full list of Massachusetts post offices that could face closure can be found here.
