Record-Journal
08-31-2007, 09:06 PM
MERIDEN -- Customers at the South Broad Street post office brought doughnuts, city mugs and well wishes Friday, as they said goodbye to an old friend.
“It’s horrible,” said Deb Marchetti, who works at nearby Curves for Women.“I did everything here.”
From now on, Marchetti will use the post office in neighboring Yalesville. The office is small and the workers are pleasant, like the ones at the South Broad Street substation, she said.
Marchetti and other postal customers said they couldn’t understand the closing and dread using the new post office in downtown.
“I’m used to coming here,” said Hector Torres. “It’s too crowded now.”
Friday was the last day for the South Broad Street substation, after the U.S. Postal Service opened a new main facility on Center Street in April. Postal Service representatives said Thursday their plan always had been to close the South Broad Street office once the new downtown post office opened.
But city officials said they were never told, and want the post office to find an existing business to host a postal contract center to make up for the closing.
“They never said it was temporary,” said Mayor Mark D. Benigni. “And I’ve had numerous meetings with postal officials.
“Our mail carriers do a terrific job, but the upper management at the U.S. Postal Service is abysmal,” he added.
Benigni and city councilors met with representatives of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman’s in an effort to keep the substation open. Benigni urged anyone concerned about the closing to contact Lieberman.
Debra Hawkins, manager of public affairs and communications for the U.S. Postal Service, said Thursday the three full-time and three-flex employees at the substation would be transferred to Center Street.
The additions should help ease the crunch at the downtown post office, she said.
But South Broad Street customers disagree.
“You think there are long lines now?” said Maureen Velush. “People are going to walk away.”
One substation employee thanked customers for their loyalty and hoped they would try the downtown post office. She asked that her name not be published.
The city has tried to find businesses willing to host postal service contract centers to ease the crunch on the Center Street office, said Benigni, adding the postal service should be marketing the idea itself.
Economic Development Director Peggy Brennan said she and her staff leafleted local businesses on East Main Street, West Main Street, and South Broad Street in hope of recruiting one to partner with the post office. But the postal service’s requirements proved formidable, and her office got no takers.
According to Brennan, the postal service wants 150 square feet if there are no post office boxes. If the business wants to provide post office boxes, it needs 500 square feet. The business also must be open after 5 p.m. and seven days a week.
First-year starter costs are $25,000 for stamps and the business must rent a meter, and pay the rent and the employees. The gross profits are 10 percent, maybe 12 percent for higher volumes.
Brennan said the South Broad Street substation generated $894,000 in annual revenue, at 10 percent that’s a profit of $89,000. “That’s not a lot of margin,” Brennan said.
Benigni has been calling on the postal service to sweeten the pot.
“No one is going to do contract stations, because it’s not financially feasible,” Benigni said. “They are not successful.”
But Hawkins said Thursday postal management doesn’t have the flexibility to negotiate a better deal.
The U.S. Post Office is a quasi-private entity trying to adopt a self-sustained business model under heavy regulation. Hawkins said it is also looking into local partners, and some centers in other parts of the country have been successful.
She said customers need to realize that like other businesses, the Internet has taken some of its revenue, but it is still experiencing growth in other areas, and has been hit with rising transportation and other business costs.
“We are getting the message out,” Hawkins said. “We are a self-sustaining business. There are no tax dollars that we get.”
Benigni was glad to hear the U.S. Postal Service admit Thursday it had no master plan for consolidations and its early strategy was inconsistent. But Benigni suggests it may be time to do things differently.
He said the agency had plenty of explaining to do for its decisions to give a city with nearly 60,000 residents one post office while the town of Southington, with 40,000 residents, gets four post offices.
“They need to explain why,” Benigni said. “I’m as disappointed as the rest of the citizens. If there was someone else I could contact, I would.”
Postal service supervisors were forced to the South Broad Street substation Friday, when a disconnected line to the employees’ water cooler began leaking into Colonial Flooring Plus, a business next door. As he tried to save his inventory, Peter Escobar bemoaned the loss of the substation.
“I told the mayor last night,” Escobar said, stretching out his arms in exasperation. “You have to stop this.”
City Councilor Keith Gordon of South Meriden is also frustrated with the postal service’s decision.
“I’m saddened by the disrespect by the U.S. Postal Service,” Gordon said. “We’ve been trying to talk with one voice. I can’t believe these people can be disrespectful to a city with a population of nearly $60,000.
Why wouldn’t they want a little customer service? Who has 15 to 20 minutes to wait in line? I’m as frustrated as the regular customers.”
“It’s horrible,” said Deb Marchetti, who works at nearby Curves for Women.“I did everything here.”
From now on, Marchetti will use the post office in neighboring Yalesville. The office is small and the workers are pleasant, like the ones at the South Broad Street substation, she said.
Marchetti and other postal customers said they couldn’t understand the closing and dread using the new post office in downtown.
“I’m used to coming here,” said Hector Torres. “It’s too crowded now.”
Friday was the last day for the South Broad Street substation, after the U.S. Postal Service opened a new main facility on Center Street in April. Postal Service representatives said Thursday their plan always had been to close the South Broad Street office once the new downtown post office opened.
But city officials said they were never told, and want the post office to find an existing business to host a postal contract center to make up for the closing.
“They never said it was temporary,” said Mayor Mark D. Benigni. “And I’ve had numerous meetings with postal officials.
“Our mail carriers do a terrific job, but the upper management at the U.S. Postal Service is abysmal,” he added.
Benigni and city councilors met with representatives of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman’s in an effort to keep the substation open. Benigni urged anyone concerned about the closing to contact Lieberman.
Debra Hawkins, manager of public affairs and communications for the U.S. Postal Service, said Thursday the three full-time and three-flex employees at the substation would be transferred to Center Street.
The additions should help ease the crunch at the downtown post office, she said.
But South Broad Street customers disagree.
“You think there are long lines now?” said Maureen Velush. “People are going to walk away.”
One substation employee thanked customers for their loyalty and hoped they would try the downtown post office. She asked that her name not be published.
The city has tried to find businesses willing to host postal service contract centers to ease the crunch on the Center Street office, said Benigni, adding the postal service should be marketing the idea itself.
Economic Development Director Peggy Brennan said she and her staff leafleted local businesses on East Main Street, West Main Street, and South Broad Street in hope of recruiting one to partner with the post office. But the postal service’s requirements proved formidable, and her office got no takers.
According to Brennan, the postal service wants 150 square feet if there are no post office boxes. If the business wants to provide post office boxes, it needs 500 square feet. The business also must be open after 5 p.m. and seven days a week.
First-year starter costs are $25,000 for stamps and the business must rent a meter, and pay the rent and the employees. The gross profits are 10 percent, maybe 12 percent for higher volumes.
Brennan said the South Broad Street substation generated $894,000 in annual revenue, at 10 percent that’s a profit of $89,000. “That’s not a lot of margin,” Brennan said.
Benigni has been calling on the postal service to sweeten the pot.
“No one is going to do contract stations, because it’s not financially feasible,” Benigni said. “They are not successful.”
But Hawkins said Thursday postal management doesn’t have the flexibility to negotiate a better deal.
The U.S. Post Office is a quasi-private entity trying to adopt a self-sustained business model under heavy regulation. Hawkins said it is also looking into local partners, and some centers in other parts of the country have been successful.
She said customers need to realize that like other businesses, the Internet has taken some of its revenue, but it is still experiencing growth in other areas, and has been hit with rising transportation and other business costs.
“We are getting the message out,” Hawkins said. “We are a self-sustaining business. There are no tax dollars that we get.”
Benigni was glad to hear the U.S. Postal Service admit Thursday it had no master plan for consolidations and its early strategy was inconsistent. But Benigni suggests it may be time to do things differently.
He said the agency had plenty of explaining to do for its decisions to give a city with nearly 60,000 residents one post office while the town of Southington, with 40,000 residents, gets four post offices.
“They need to explain why,” Benigni said. “I’m as disappointed as the rest of the citizens. If there was someone else I could contact, I would.”
Postal service supervisors were forced to the South Broad Street substation Friday, when a disconnected line to the employees’ water cooler began leaking into Colonial Flooring Plus, a business next door. As he tried to save his inventory, Peter Escobar bemoaned the loss of the substation.
“I told the mayor last night,” Escobar said, stretching out his arms in exasperation. “You have to stop this.”
City Councilor Keith Gordon of South Meriden is also frustrated with the postal service’s decision.
“I’m saddened by the disrespect by the U.S. Postal Service,” Gordon said. “We’ve been trying to talk with one voice. I can’t believe these people can be disrespectful to a city with a population of nearly $60,000.
Why wouldn’t they want a little customer service? Who has 15 to 20 minutes to wait in line? I’m as frustrated as the regular customers.”