Post Office Branch Closures: a Loss for Village Life

The US Postal Service is considering shutting down five Newton Post Offices: West Newton, Lower Falls, Boston College, Newton Upper Falls, and Nonantum.  Nationally, 3700 offices are potentially being eliminated, with a disproportionate five here in Newton. The traditional town center used to include an assortment of places that made for civic life:  a village green, town hall, usually some kind of memorial, a few shops, and the post office.  Each of these has gradually lost its importance over the decades and now one – the village post office – appears on the brink of extinction.

This initiative is a “top down” strategy, originating in the federal office of the USPS in Washington DC.  They are taking surveys in the local post offices, and held two public meetings in order to assess how these closures will affect the local residents and customers.At the Public Meetings on Nov. 9 and 22, 2012 at War Memorial Auditorium, the turnout was large, and residents spoke about what key places their local post offices are in their neighborhood lives. Businesses testified about how they had located near some of the branches slated to be closed, and how having a nearby post office was an economic component to deciding where to locate their offices. 

Paul Kilduff,  General President and speaking on behalf of the Postal Service, gave the financial background. Declining income from first class postage revenue, and, more importantly, Congress’s directive that the Postal Service prepay employees’ retirement funding has put the Postal Service into a financial hole. The USPS must pay 5.5 billion dollars up front each year for this prefunding. In 2006, it was mandated that in a ten-year span the Postal Service must pay 75 billion dollars into this prefunded retirement program.

Currently the prefunding is over-funded by $50-75million. If Congress would lift this prepayment requirement, which no other government agency is burdened with, the Postal Service would not be at a deficit.  In fact, the Postal Service would be in the black by approximately $700 million. USPS sees a decline of income at about 7% per year, which is leading them to plan for station closures to help compensate for the loss in sales.

As Alderman Brian Yates stated at the November 9 public hearing, Benjamin Franklin helped create the US Postal Service as a way to keep communications and people connected and in contact. Now, due to a fiscal model for cutting,  USPS is recommending an elimination of this human connector in village fabric.

Newton Villages supports the strengthening of walkability and vitality through mixed uses in our village centers.  Waban is an example of a PO not on the chopping block due to its revenue of over $600,000 per year. It receives higher traffic not because more businesses or residents are located nearby, but likely due to the mix of uses within its few walkable blocks: dining, coffee, cobbler, public transportation, consulting services, deli, supermarket, restaurant, framing shop, etc.  It’s a village that offers the chance for many stops and errands to be accomplished in a single outing; a trip to the Post Office is a part of that.

Walking to the local Post Office, dispatching a letter, buying stamps, picking up mail, chatting with the staff and other customers is a vital part of neighborhood socializing for many Newtonites. Having to travel further, outside your actual zipcode, and likely by car, isn’t the walkable, sustainable lifestyle that Newton’s residents, Comprehensive Plan, the Mixed Use Task Force, or Newton Villages envision and encourage.

As a “cost-saving” alternative, consolidation of services at other existing branches is planned. Current customers of the possibly closing Post Offices will be forced to go to another branch for their postal needs. This will most often mean getting into a car. Public transportation is not available from BC, for instance, to Chestnut Hill, the next closest PO. For students, seniors, and people carrying packages to or from, this will be difficult.  Parking availability is limited at most of Newton’s Post Offices, and likely will get worse after merging customer bases. Adequate space to re-locate post boxes is another concern. Wait time in line will increase. This consolidation effort and resulting inconvenience, coupled with disgruntled customers, could drive customers to seek alternatives (eg. private mail firms, UPS, FedEx) and increase the potential for overall USPS failure rather the hoped-for successful business restructuring.

Understandably the USPS is concerned about being financially viable. Are there other ways to accomplish fiscal stability without closing neighborhood post offices?  How important are the factors of keeping villages vital and walkable, reinforcing the sense of neighborhood?

Ironically, all of the five post offices slated for closure are viable, profit making businesses, some with bottom lines and profits the envy of their village business neighbors: Newton Upper Falls’ annual revenue is $439,409, Newton Lower Falls’ is $315,661, West Newton is $552,920, Nonantum is $489,256, and Boston College is $101,680 (for just a nine month period).

The amount of money that may be saved through these closings was challenged at the public meetings.  Buying out long-term rental leases, and paying to re-locate the union staffers in other stations are some of the costs that may offset proposed savings.

As a governmental agency, why is the Postal Service required to make money, whereas other governmental departments provide services to residents without bringing in self-supporting income? Even if a Post Office does not show a profit, the Postal Service is not mandated to close it if it is important to the community.

What can be done to keep these post offices open, and retain this useful piece of the fabric of village life? Kilduff suggests lobbying Barney Frank and the rest of Congress to support a bill offered recently by Congressman Steve Lynch.  HR 1351 would relieve the Postal Service of its mandate to prefund employee retirements and immediately give relief to the USPS to solve its deficit.  The result would be higher cost reductions if Congress will repeal the pre-payment requirement.

Kilduff told those at the Public Meetings that there are several versions of other bills currently being offered that would help the Postal Service alleviate its debt. Senate Bill #2309 would completely dismantle the Postal Service as we see it today. By 2015, door–to-door delivery would end to approximately 90% of the American public. He asks that concerned residents call in support of HR 1351, also urge Senators Kerry and Brown to oppose Senate Bill #2309.

As we have all seen, village centers and neighborhoods do change over time.  Change is natural, inevitable, often positive. Many people regret the loss of small independent businesses and stores, and a variety of shopping and service offerings within the core of our villages.  Five Newton branch post offices appear to be another victim of such transformations, but for those that care to advocate for them to remain, there are channels to take. Both the USPS and Congress are willing to hear those voices.