Supporters of Douglas Island’s post office are holding a rally to save the facility as the end of a five-month reprieve from closure of the facility nears.
Congress has until May 15 to adjust the U.S. Post Office’s budget before the mail carrier makes a final decision on the closures.
The proposed Douglas closure, accompanied planned shutterings across the country at many other small offices or those in cities with multiple locations, and were sparked by huge deficits at the federal postal service. After objections from state and U.S. senators and the public, many of the postal locations in Alaska were spared — save Douglas and some military post offices.
Juneau residents have said they feel their testimony went unheeded.
“We feel the Douglas community and businesses will suffer a great loss by the closure of our Post Office,” Douglas Advisory Board Member Kay Pusich said. “We want the Delegation in Washington, D.C. and the postmaster general to understand how important the Post Office is to our residents.”
The Douglas facility provides valuable services and civic unity, Pusich said.
“We believe the Federal Building Post Office has inadequate parking to take on the additional services,“ Pusich said. “The Douglas Post Office has been the heart of our community and it is our hope that the rally will send the message — save our Post Office.”
The Douglas Advisory Board and City and Borough of Juneau are hosting the rally.
The rally is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas Depot parking lot.
• Contact reporter Russell Stigall at 523-2276 or at russell.stigall@juneauempire.com.
Comments (19)
Add commentCut government! Wait, not in
Cut government! Wait, not in our backyard! Cut everyone elses government services!
The heart of your community?
Our government needs to cut expenses but every time they try to do it people try and stop it. Wake up! We can't afford the luxurious living anymore. We need to make some sacrifices and having to drive over the bridge for a post office is a pretty darn small sacrifice. Heck it's across the street from the grocery store you have to go to.
Another concern.
A trip from Douglas to the main PO, at 5 to 6 dollars a gallon for gas could cut pretty hard into some peoples budgets, perhaps more, depending on how many times one must circle said PO to obtain parking.
There's a Post Office in Douglas?
There's a Post Office in Douglas?
Bob, they are already driving
Bob, they are already driving those miles to get their groceries. Last I checked there is no grocery store in Douglas.
?
Where's Douglas?
5-6 bucks a gallon
Sorry that doesn't wash, most living on Douglas come to town for groceries, granted some may not. The few that don't can put up a mailbox
If any post office should be
If any post office should be closed, it should be the federal building location. It has no parking, you have to walk a maze to get to the door, and you're lucky if there's more than one agent at the windows. Close it and open a substation somewhere downtown that's more convenient...
Angel, thats because most of
Angel, thats because most of its users are already in the Fed Bldg.
If it's that important...
...why don't the residents of Douglas come together and buy the building where it's located, and provide that building to the P.O. free of charge? That would undercut the main reason for shutting it down.
If everybody in town kicked in a couple hundred bucks, that ought to cover it. Small price to pay for the "heart of your community".
It's not the cost of the building...
It's the cost of labor that's forcing the shutdowns, thanks to the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006...
Angelcrusher
I thought the employees were going to be retained, just at the federal building PO.
If the community made the effort to eliminate the building lease costs, I'll bet that would be a pretty persuasive move.
Hey Angelcrusher
There actually is a substation downtown already, right next to pocket park. They are quick, friendly, open year round, and much easier to deal with than the Federal building employees.
Contract station...
...which is fine, but you'd need something for the PO boxes...
Use of a PO
Many people only grocery shop once or twice a month, a great many others have a necessity to visit the post office a lot more frequently than that. Important issues can happen involving correspondence that mandated a trip, and with the cost of fuel, not to mention time, that can be a hardship.
Be careful at the Federal Building location...
...some of the security cameras "might be monitered"
newlife
You do understand that the role of the unions is to provide living wages to workers right? Go back to your hole you crank!