Five Queens Post Offices targeted for closure

The United States Postal Service (USPS) may accomplish what neither rain nor snow nor sleet has been able to – stopping a U.S. mail courier.
The USPS released a list on July 26 designating post offices from across the nation that are being examined in order to determine whether they should be shutdown. Among the branches on the list, 34 are in the five boroughs, with five in Queens, including the Grand Station Post Office located at 45-08 30th Avenue in Astoria.
The possible elimination of Grand Station has already triggered public outrage from community leaders who deem the post office an essential neighborhood commodity. A rally was held outside the post office on August 1, where elected officials united with neighborhood residents to protest the closing of the branch.
“Closing the Grand Station Post Office would severely burden residents living in the area who rely on it for their daily needs,” said State Senator Michael Gianaris. “As a neighborhood with a large population of seniors and immigrants, closing this facility unfairly targets a subset of more vulnerable New Yorkers who have helped build the neighborhood to what it is today. It is not right that they should have to further suffer the consequences of the federal government’s economic hardships.”
The other Queens post offices that are being studied for possible closure are in Hollis, Arverne, Rosedale and Rockaway.
The investigation will study numerous qualities at each branch, including foot traffic, the number of customers compared to workers’ wages, proximity to other post offices and mail volume. An office’s appearance on the list means only that it was “red flagged” for further examination, and does not definitively spell its doom.
“Today, more than 35 percent of the Postal Service’s retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, self-service kiosks, ATMs and usps.com, open 24/7,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. “Our customer’s habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business.”
There are currently 67 operating post offices in Queens. If all five branches listed are eliminated, roughly 7.5 percent of the total offices in the borough will have been dissolved.
According to USPS spokesperson Darleen Reid, some offices on the list “may not make sense at all,” and are only being included in the inquiry to be thorough.
The study will last at least 138 days, and part of the process involves a survey for residents to complete and a public meeting providing people the opportunity to voice their opinions.
For residents of Astoria, eliminating the Grand Station branch would not only be nuisance, but it would be a sign of disrespect from their government.
“This post office is very convenient for me because I’ve had surgery,” said Phyllis Jones, a 64-year-old Astoria resident who frequently uses the Grand Station post office. “I usually have a cane and have to wear a brace on my foot. There are elderly people in this neighborhood that will not be able to walk any farther. I’m paying such high taxes and now they want to close my post office. Why don’t people in government get a cut in their salaries like everyone else is getting so that we can keep the post office?”