Nat King Cole post office closing being considered

| August 30, 2012 | 0 Comments

Written comments accepted until Sept. 7

 

Hail, sleet and snow are mild compared to the Internet’s effect on the United States Postal Service (USPS).

The latest casualty could be the Nat King Cole/Oakwood station at 265 S. Western Ave.

Selling the building and relocating the retail and P.O. box service to a nearby but smaller, leased location is being proposed. If approved, P.O. Box numbers and ZIP codes would not change.

“Retail counter service (purchasing stamps, mailing packages, etc.) and delivery service would be provided at the new location,” added USPS spokesman Richard Maher.

Also proposed is moving the letter carrier division to Los Feliz Station.

Public input on the proposal was heard at a meeting at Pio Pico Koreatown Public Library on Aug. 23.

Veteran mail carrier Carl Mitchell, who has spent most of his 37-years at Nat King Cole, said it would be a shame to lose the station—a bustling place with busy counter service and home to some 42 carriers.

“A lot of people love that station. The clerks are nice. The parking is good… I know the mail volume is low, but that’s no reason for us to be on top of each other [at Los Feliz.]”

“Mail volume has dropped 20 percent the past three years with the rise in electronic communication and business transactions,” Maher said.

The Postal Service is in a very serious financial situation and is facing insolvency, Maher added.

The final decision on the local site will be made at USPS headquarters in Washington D.C.

“A nearby replacement facility has not been secured at this point, and USPS will not sign a lease on a replacement facility until the proposed project is approved,” Maher said.

USPS does not receive tax dollars, and it is in a serious financial situation and facing insolvency, he added.

Letter carrier street delivery operations would be housed in another facility, most likely Los Feliz Station…. “this would not impact delivery to homes and businesses by letter carriers,” Maher added.

Written comments are being accepted until Fri., Sept. 7 by Diana Alvarado, Pacific Facilities Service Office, U.S. Postal Service, 1300 Evans Ave. Ste. 200, San Francisco, CA 94188-8200.

Category: News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *