Deadline: Input on USPS
Sunday is the last day the people of Bureau will have to share their thoughts about the possible closing of their post office.
That will be the first domino to fall, followed quickly by deadlines for Kasbeer and Van Orin on Monday, Dover, New Bedford and Mineral will follow. The final deadline for Seatonville and Arlington will be on Dec. 31.
In July, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced that eight Bureau County post offices were on the list for possible closing, part of the more than 3,600 retail offices nationwide that were to be studied to determine customers needs.
According to the USPS, the review was necessary as “more customers choose to conduct their postal business online, on their smart phones and at their favorite shopping destinations.”
Eight public meetings were held in the county, beginning with Bureau on Oct. 17, and ending with Seatonville and Arlington on Nov. 1.
At the meetings, Elizabeth Anderson, district discontinuance coordinator, repeatedly encouraged customers to return the survey they were sent or to fill out a comment card available at the post office. She said comments must be made in writing to be put into the official record and to be used in determining the future of each post office.
Each community was given two months to respond.
The comments will be reviewed at the USPS headquarters in Washington, D.C. Originally the final decision was to be announced in January, with the earliest possible closing date being in mid-March, but last week Beverly Howard of corporate communications for the Central Illinois District of the USPS said decisions about the post office discontinuances will not be made before March 2012.
"Right now, we are not physically closing any post offices," she said.
After a decision is announced, customers will be able to appeal the decision to the Postal Regulatory Commission. The post office would remain open throughout the appeal process, possibly keeping it open into June.
Local reaction has been mixed regarding the closings.
In Seatonville, Chad Errio said he knows that "a lot" of people in town have sent letters or postcards, and have even called or gone to see their legislators.
"We're doing everything we can to save our post office," he said.
In Bureau, Cheryl Luck said she doesn't believe public input will have a great deal of influence on the final decision.
"I think the decision's probably already been made for financial reasons," she said.
Luck laid much of the blame for the problem on Congress' delay in making decisions that would allow the postal service to operate better.
"If they would allow the postal service to eliminate the six-day delivery, a lot of these changes could be delayed," she said. "It's sad, letting the postal service fall on its face before doing anything to help."
In Van Orin, Sam Thiemes was one of a vocal group of protesters to attend his public meeting. On Monday, he said he has returned his survey, but he said he hasn't heard much talk as to what his neighbors are doing.
Thiemes said part of the problem is the postal service is antiquated, and people can use their computers to do whatever they want.
Thiemes said he had mixed emotions about the possible closing. If the system is inadequate, maybe it shouldn't be so big.
"But with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and the banks getting all this money, this isn't that much money," he said. "We want the post office to stay open, but somewhere done the road, if it's antiquated, what are you going to do?"
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