Business
People have been complaining about the U.S. Postal Service for years. Rates rise and people scream bloody murder. The service announces a huge annual loss and people wonder at the incompetence. Still, despite the obvious problems, most folks just assumed the post office would always be around to whine about. Not so fast, Bucko.
The Postal Service has assembled a list of nearly 700 offices that may be closed or consolidated. That’s out of a total of 32,741 post offices across America. The list of possible closures has been sent to the independent Regulatory Commission for review, “and officials say more may be added.” The news, while not exactly a surprise, still sent searches soaring on everything from “post office closures” to the service’s official website for the straight scoop.
Various news agencies tracked down the list of 700 or so offices that are on the chopping block. A cursory look indicates that some cities may lose more than their share of offices. For example, 38 offices in St. Louis made the list, while only 3 offices in Harlem appear to be in danger. This is just going off the PDF made available.
Of course, all of this is subject to change. Some offices may be spared, while others may be added to the list of doom. What’s unlikely to change is the falling fortune of one of America’s oldest public institutions. The Government Accountability Office recently commented that, “without major change, the day will soon come when the Postal Service will be unable to pay its bills.”
You can check out the full PDF list of proposed closures here.
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The real question that comes next is, what to do with the closed facilities? Do we let the government just sell the buildings to developers to be torn down, or do we pressure the government to re-use these structures for our communities? I think we should repurpose the closed buildings for neighborhood initiatives–economic development or daycare or recreation centers or headstart facilities.
Great questions.