By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Eagle

BAY RIDGE – The Ovington Post Office will not be stamped out of existence. After a month-long storm of protest and neighborhood fears, the postal retail substation on Fourth Avenue at 68th Street is being spared from the U.S. Postal Service’s dead-letter axe.

Word on the happy fate of the Ovington Retail Station, as it is called, at 6803 Fourth Ave., was recently delivered to Councilman Vincent Gentile and state Senator Marty Golden from Brooklyn Postmaster Joseph Chiosonne. Gentile and Golden expressed their relief and happiness that there would be no disruption of postal office services.

“I am grateful that this station is no longer slated to be closed,� Golden said. “Closing this post office would have been a tremendous mistake that would have had a terrible impact on the quality of life of our neighborhood. Bay Ridge needs this Ovington Station to remain in operation, a place to mail letters and packages, buy stamps and do other postal related business.�

“Business people and seniors won’t have to trek dozens of blocks for the mail services they need on a day-to-day basis,� said Gentile, expressing his happiness at the news.

That means that local business people, seniors and others in the north Bay Ridge neighborhood will not have to travel by car, subway or B63 to reach the Fifth Avenue Fort Hamilton Post Office on Fifth Avenue at 88th Street.

Golden noted that the Ovington station “serves a large area of Brooklyn residents, many of whom are elderly and cannot travel to the next closest branch on either 55th Street (at Seventh Avenue) or 88th Street.�

When the U.S. Postal Service announced over a month ago that over 3,000 post offices throughout the country were on a list of possible closures for this September – and that several Brooklyn substations were on the list – the postal union, as well as local civic and elected officials, reacted with alarm.

Among the first to protest was Golden, who wrote a letter to Brooklyn Postmaster Chisonne. Chisonne responded to confirm that an operations review of several substations and offices was planned.

In his reply to Golden a month ago the postmaster wrote, “They (U.S.P.S.) are looking at every possible way to reduce cost, while continuing to meet the needs of our customers. Before the Postal Service makes a decision to close or consolidate a post office, we comply with all the stipulations mandated by federal law.� Now there will be no Brooklyn closings.

“I understand the effect that the usage of email is having on the financial operations of the United States Postal Service,� said Golden. “And I understand the post office is looking to reduce costs.� But, he said, this burden could not be placed backs of a large neighborhood whose residents and businesses rely heavily on postal services.

Congressman Mike McM-ahon and District Manager Josephine Beckmann of Community Board 10 were among other officials elated that the Ovington Post Office, serving zip code zones 11209 and 11220, was spared. Their offices received numerous calls about the original closure list announcement.

Local residents and businesses in the Ovington office area reacted with deep concern and many people signed a petition circulated by postal employees, also fearing the station’s loss. If it had been closed, its operations would have been consolidated into the Fort Hamilton Post Office.

Perhaps, observers said, the public and official pressure in Brooklyn placed upon the postal service may have deflected the originally announced possible closings and consolidations, but that is the stuff of speculation that could not be confirmed by postal officials.

Despite Ovington’s reprieve, the financially strapped U.S. Postal Service is going ahead with its plan to close hundreds of its office and consolidate many of its operations nationwide.

Postal Service spokesperson Darleen Reid-DeMeo also denied rumors that the Dyker Heights Post Office, a full-service station, would be closed and incorporated into the Fort Hamilton station.

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