By Nathan Duke
The neighborhood currently shares Ridgewood's 11385 ZIP code and receives its mail through the Postal Service's postmaster at 20th Avenue in Flushing. But figures from the 2000 Census show that the combined neighborhoods make up the third most populous region of the county with more than 97,000 people, which has prompted residents and elected officials from the community to call for a code change.The most populated neighborhood in Queens is Elmhurst's 11373 code and the second is Corona's 11368 code.But the U.S. Postal Service recently turned down a request by the community to change its ZIP code, said Postal Service spokesman Bob Trombley.”The postal service does not assign ZIP codes solely to provide community identity,” he said. “The system was designed to provide an efficient postal distribution and delivery network. The Postal Service takes many factors into consideration when creating ZIP codes, such as population, mail volume, the delivery area's size and geography. Glendale simply does not meet our requirements for a change.”But Glendale residents said they would continue the fight for a new code.”By no means are we giving up on this,” said resident Jack Zwerenz, a member of the Glendale Property Owners Association. “More and more people in Glendale are wanting to have our own ZIP code.”Zwerenz said community leaders were searching for a neighborhood site that could accommodate a mail sorting office.Community residents said the share ZIP code has long been a source of inconvenience, citing ambulance delays, late mail and years of receiving mail addressed to other neighborhoods.But Trombley said residents should not have difficulty receiving their mail if Ridgewood's ZIP code is included in the address.”As long as they are using the proper ZIP code, their mail will be delivered,” he said. “There's been a lot made of delivery problems due to the mixing up of town names. It's a misnomer.”State Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Glendale) said he had fought for Ridgewood to break off from its previous Brooklyn ZIP code in the early 1980s and won that battle. He said Glendale could also secure its own code through perseverance.”My feeling is we have to keep trying,” he said. “Glendale is entitled to its own ZIP code. There are so many areas that don't have our population that have their own ZIP code.”Community Board 5 Chairman Vincent Arcuri said he had written to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) about the code change. The senator's office contacted the U.S. Postal Service on the board's behalf, he said.Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
