By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BAY RIDGE — Rumblings that a post office in Bay Ridge may close are setting off demands that it remain open as state Sen. Marty Golden leads the charge.

In response to calls from concerned constituents about a proposal to shut down the Ovington branch post office serving northern Bay Ridge at 6803 Fourth Ave., Golden sent a letter on Tuesday to Brooklyn Postmaster Joseph Chiossone.

“It has come to my attention that the post office branch has been considered for closing,� the senator wrote. “I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the fact that the post office at Fourth Avenue provides necessary services to the residents of Bay Ridge.�

The small branch is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed Saturdays and Sundays. Bay Ridge has one other post office, the much larger Fort Hamilton branch on Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th streets, which is open during business hours on weekdays and until 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

“If this branch were to close, this would cause considerable hardship for many of my constituents,� said Golden. “For the senior citizens who live in the area, reaching another neighboring branch would be extraordinarily difficult, perhaps impossible.� For example, many seniors who frequent the Bay Ridge Center daily at Fourth and Ovington avenues use it.

“I believe that this branch of the post office has served, and will continue to serve, our community well and should remain open to ensure accessibility to those who rely on the convenience of its current location,� said Golden in his request to Chiossone. He strongly urged his consideration since the branch benefits many area residents and businesses.

If the Ovington branch closes, the only remaining post office link in the immediate neighborhood will be a one-window satellite branch at a drugstore at the northeast corner of Third Avenue and 74th Street. It is open during limited hours, Mondays through Fridays.

Crowded Fort Hamilton Branch

The likely alternative for area residents would be to use the Fort Hamilton branch on Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th streets. Chronic long lines there have been a longstanding problem for at least two decades.

In the last few years there have been some improvements, users note, such as dedicated express lines for postage-stamp purchases and a seating area where customers await their number to be called.

The Fort Hamilton branch is also heavily used by people applying for passports, which adds to its workload. The branch is accessible by the B63 bus Fifth Avenue a block from the Ovington branch and by the R subway from the Bay Ridge Avenue, 77th Street and 86th Street stations. None of these is handicapped accessible, however.

Another nearby post office is at 5501 Seventh Ave. in Sunset Park and one at 6201 Fifth Ave. was closed not too long ago.

The northern Bay Ridge neighborhood also contains the Towers of Bay Ridge, two large towering apartment complexes on 65th Street at Third and Fourth avenues, with many residents.

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