Postal Union Reaches Out to Public
And Neighborhood Concern Grows
By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
BAY RIDGE — The Ovington Retail Station in Bay Ridge is just one of many that the U.S. Postal Service is considering for closure throughout Brooklyn, according to President Jim Musumeci of the Brooklyn American Postal Workers Union.
“All 18 Brooklyn finance post office branches are being evaluated for possible closing,” he said.
“They’re looking at all these smaller finance postal offices to see if they are viable. The idea is to ‘consolidate’ them into larger post offices,” said Musumeci. “The Postal Service is calling it a consolidation.”
The union has been waging a public campaign to alert people at post office sites. “Some of these operate very well, others not so well, and most break even,” said Musumeci. “These offices are a public service and the U.S. Postal Service, which is looking to close 3,000 post offices nationwide, is acting like a CEO at a Fortune 500 corporation.”
At public hearings held by the U.S. Postal Service in Staten Island and Flushing, he noted, there was a public outcry against its plans.
In Bay Ridge, efforts are gaining momentum to prevent the closure of the Ovington office at 6803 Fourth Avenue. Petitions and protests are mounting as concern sweeps over the neighborhood.
Congressman Michael McMahon is on top of the situation, as callers and concerned citizens contacted his Bay Ridge district office. “We’ve been told that the Postal Service in Brooklyn is assessing all its post office facilities with its conclusions to be announced this fall,” said spokesperson Lauren Amendolara at McMahon’s Washington, DC office.
“We’ve expressed our concerns to keep it open and accessible,” she said. “If it turns out that there is a substantial decline in services or a closing, Congressman McMahon will be in the forefront of saving it. The situation is being monitored by our office.”
The Bay Ridge district office of state Senator Marty Golden, the first elected official who reacted with a letter of concern to Brooklyn Postmaster Joseph Chissone, is also getting calls and constituent complaints. “We’ll have petitions here available for the public to sign,” said spokesperson John Quaglione. “We have not yet received a reply to a letter Senator Golden wrote to Postmaster Chissone,” he added.
Aides at Councilman Vincent Gentile and Assembly Member Janele Hyer-Spencer’s local district offices are getting callers and visits from constituents, with the lawmakers expressing concern.
“Our neighborhood can’t afford to lose this post office,” said Councilman Gentile who wrote a letter last week to the Brooklyn postmaster. “We can’t afford the lost jobs, the strain on residents who have a hard time making it to other post offices, of the burden the closure may cause on those post offices that will need to pick up the slack.”
“This is taking place on the federal level, so we’ll need to develop a collective response. I and my constituents are deeply concerned,” said Hyer-Spencer.
Neighborhood
Concerns Grow
A neighborhood survey showed worries about any loss or change in the Ovington Retail Station. “The post office is across the street from my house,” said Selma Mohamed of the Bay Ridge Super Market. “The other post office (Fifth Avenue at 88th Street) is too far. When you go over there you always find a line. Where are these people going to go?”
At Nordic Delicacies, a block from the post office, Arlene Bakke Rutuelo said, “When I heard that the post office on Fourth Avenue was going to close, I was a bit disturbed. It will affect our mail order business that started 15 years ago. We’re the only Nordic business left on the East Coast. It will be hard on us.”
“I know a lot of people who use it,” said Emphasis Diner owner Gus Matsngos. “A lot of people here will lose their jobs there. One gentleman has been there for 30 years. They’re not going to transfer him. He’s going to be retired.”
Ovington Hardware proprietor Kenny Maxwell, who signed the petition, said, “I myself find it very easy to use this one. For people who live here this is going to be a hardship.” “It’s easy for us to travel to the post office here,” said Abdelhat Salsali of Steve’s Bagels a block south of the post office, holding the petition.
At Yanni’s Restaurant, Sophia Plue was concerned. “I want to keep it open,” she said, noting it is a block away. Otherwise, she said, “I’ll have to go to Fort Hamilton, which is too far away, or to Chinatown (Sunset Park). This one was in the middle.”
“Every time I go in there there’s a long line. Elderly people will be affected,” said hairstylist Ivy Chua at Elmis Beauty Salon. The heavily trafficked Fort Hamilton Post Office on Fifth Avenue at 88th Street is not convenient. “Traffic is always busy there and there is double parking.”
An employee of the Ovington Retail Station, when off duty, expressed her concerns. “This neighborhood is growing. Businesses are opening,” said Judy Pryce, who had a pile of petitions in hand. “The neighborhood has been so good helping. We have collected over a thousand signatures.
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