Isabella Post Office meeting
John F. Brothers/HeraldStandard.com
Isabella resident Carol Foster poses questions to postal officials about the future of the Isabella post office Wednesday.
John F. Brothers/HeraldStandard.com
Bill Battles, of the USPS Western Pennsylvania district office
addresses the concerns of many of the residents of Isabella that
turned out to a meeting at the Isabella fire hall about the future
of the local post office.
LUZERNE TWP. — Residents spoke out against the possible closing of a local post office at a meeting conducted by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) officials Wednesday evening.
The post office in Isabella is among 21 local branch offices and 3,650 across the country that the Postal Service is considering closing due to declining revenue and mail volume.
Melanie Barnhart, review coordinator for western Pennsylvania District, said closing the Isabella branch office would save more the post office more than $255,000 over 10 years. She said while this branch posted revenue of about $6,389 during the 2010/11 fiscal year, there are many other factors to consider when making decisions about whether or not to close local post offices.
“Mail volume has decreased and so has customer volume,” Barnhart said. “Customers don’t really need the post office like they used to. Maybe we don’t need post offices that are about half a mile apart. We can consolidate them to make it more feasible for the postal service and the people.”
Chantel Harn has organized a petition drive with nearly 100 signatures to save her town’s post office.
“This post office is part of our community,” she said to a crowd 30 to 40 people gathered at the town’s volunteer fire hall. “It our only community building. This is our gathering place for elderly people, children go there, perhaps, for a piece of candy after school. The post office is the central hub for the community.”
Barnhart said the office provides delivery and retail service to 85 P.O. Box and no delivery route customers. That post office has been serving Isabella since 1917.
“I understand that people want to keep their post office, but this feasibility study and the community meeting is to find out their concerns to determine what is the best way to proceed for Isabella and the postal service,” she said.
Chuck Haines asked if the post office was paying “lip service” to the community and that a decision has already been made to close the office.
Bill Battles, the USPS postal operations manager for Fayette and Westmoreland counties, emphasized that closing the office is being studied and no final decision about the office has been made.
Barnhart said there is a 60-day public comment period which started tolling today. She said if a decision is made to close this branch, it would be a minimum of 138 days from Dec. 7 before that happens.
“If it closes, and that is a big if because this just a study from which there has been no final determination, then it will be at least 138 days before any action is taken,” Barnhart said. “But the process could take even longer.”
Carol Foster, 69, who has lived in Isabella all her life, is worried about how she will pay her bills without being able to walk to her local post office.
“I mail all my bills out through that post office,” she said. “If they close the post office, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve been mailing my bills out like this ever since I can remember, so I don’t wish to see the post office closed.”
If the office is closed, Brownsville’s post office – about 8 miles away – would provide delivery and retail services Isabella residents could also buy a post office box in the Brownsville office.
“We are bringing the mail to you, offering you stamps, mail your packages for you,” Barnhart said. “We will be able to offer all the services that we provide now, just in a different format, from your carrier.”