Since 1887, the Douglas Post Office has served the city and community with convenience, courtesy and efficiency. For many, it is the heartbeat of the Douglas community and that is why I have been fighting to keep it open following the recent announcement from the U.S. Postal Service to review post offices around the country for possible closure.
In July, 36 Alaska post offices were announced as under review for possible closure. As a member of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee which oversees the U.S. Postal Service, I advocated directly to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and fought to keep all 36 of these offices open. So far, 31 of the post offices have been saved, but the Douglas station is one of five still under review. We have until Nov. 24 to make our case — this will be the last opportunity for community involvement. That is why we need your help.
Many of you have already attended public hearings and submitted comments to the U.S. Postal Service, but they must hear from more of you. Please take a few minutes to send your story to the U.S. Postal Service and let them know how you would be affected by a closure. It will be your voices and stories that help us save this post office. Mail your comments by Nov. 24, 2011, to:
Ms. Blesilda Lochmann
United States Postal Service
3720 Barrow Street
Anchorage, AK 99599-0001
After Nov. 24, U.S Postal Service headquarters will conduct the final review of any post offices recommended for closure nationwide. However, no closures will be made prior to the 2011 holiday season.
Just like all of you, I know the Douglas Post Office is a vital part of the community. I know you count on the convenience and appreciate the exemplary service provided by its employees. Please help me keep the Douglas Post Office open.
Please feel free to contact Sally Smith in my Juneau office if you have any questions at 907-586-7700.
• Begich is serving his first term as a U.S. Senator for Alaska.
Comments (18)
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One if by land two if by sea. A little out dated for an early warning system right? Well with all the technology and private for profit companies so are all post offices. That said Douglas as well as all offices should be closed unless they can be self sustainable. Perhaps this can be achieved with tweaking perhaps not. Tweaks could be charging the snail mail spammers (junk mail generators) & reduced days, hours & deliveries. They could also be staffing them with employees that have customer service skills instead of zombies that hate being where they are.
At least they could stop
At least they could stop giving discounts for bulk mail. Its a waste of paper products to mail me something I dont want, and it is a waste of resources for the Post Office. Probably at least half the mail they carry is discounted "Bulk" mail, that no one wants. Charge normal rates for it, increase revenues, and perhaps lessen the load on the landfill.
As for the Douglas Post Office, I know the employees are nice, I know you don't want to have to get your mail when you get your groceries, I know you have been getting your mail there since you were a little kid in 1887, but can you honestly say that Juneau needs four mail outlets? There are bigger communities out there with only one! In order to keep the postal service from going bankrupt and you having no post office?
You know not of what you speak
...at least in regard to the Douglas Post Office. It offers the best customer service I have ever encountered from USPS. And some of the best in Juneau.
Yes, USPS needs to refresh its business model, but that won't happen in time to alter the fate in Douglas.
Even if you don't personally use the Douglas PO, please be considerate of your fellow Borough residents that rely upon it and help save it! Let the Postal Servce know that the closure affects more than the few hundreds of customers the folks in Anchorage imagine are impacted.
Douglas Post Office Closure
How many of you have tried to go to the Juneau post office, only to find yourself driving around and around the block looking for a place to park? You can't park in the parking lot as it's only for federal employees. You'll get a ticket. Can the Juneau Post Office provide boxes for maybe 300 more customers? Our post office in Douglas is essential to us, and it has nothing to do with using it since 1887. I agree that the USPS could cut out Saturday openings and make cuts in other areas. We need the post office and the people who work there are really the best I've seen. Friendly, helpful and our neighbors.
So transfer them to a
So transfer them to a different post office. You seem to think that its all about you. You like dealing with these postal employees, you dont want to have to drive across the bridge, you cant find a place to park. Maybe the best solution is to close all of them except the Mendenhall as it has the space to expand. Would that be a good solution? When looking at a nation-wide bankruptcy, we need to be able to give better reasons for having four post offices in a town this small than "They are nice guys" or "I cant find a place to park". That is why we are going bankrupt as a nation. No-one sees that they are part of the problem. "Keep my ost office so I am not affected, but get rid of all those other ones draining the system" The reality is that there really should only be one and maybe two for a town the size of Juneau.
idea
Close the PO in the federal building (who needs those grumpy guss anyway) expand the Douglas PO, which will create (or save) a few jobs.
& then move Begich's offices into the vacated federal spaces, let him have the currant zombies occupying the space behind the "next window" signs
cause
because those behind the "next window" signs mentioned above do about as much as those in DC
So you would rather that the
So you would rather that the federal agencies all have their own dedicated mail person who has to drive to Douglas two to three times a day?
Automate it. Plenty of
Automate it. Plenty of Anchorage post offices provide the opportunity to either stand in line and take your chances on getting out of the PO before it's time for the next employee break, or go to a machine and be done with the whole ordeal.
I recall distinctly when I lived in Juneau/Douglas in the 1980/1990s, they had two slots at the Douglas PO for mail; one was marked "local" and the other marked "other," but they both emptied into the same tub! The place is a standing joke.
This letter from Sen. Begich is just pandering--and I bet it was written by Sally Smith anyway.
Stimulus
Wow I hadn't thought of that, but just think of the # jobs that could be created
Of course
Of course they'd need a chevy volt (gota be green ya know). That would also mean jobs for GM (government motors) employees, oh thats right most of them are made in Mexico, with the GE parts coming from China. Well someone will be working somewhere
what dont you understand
what dont you understand about no noney? close that dump and drive accross the bridge. dont stop there either, close the Douglas library as well. there is one of those across the bridge also.
but
close one library in Douglas that's not needed, build a library in the vally thats also not needed & put it next to a school that was voted down twice
Maybe if you people would
Maybe if you people would read more we'd get more use out of the library. You'd also be better educated and would write more coherent comments on the internet.
It'd be a win-win.
"You People"
Don't need to use the mail or the library; the Internet has replaced all of that. Government schools are next...
win
Win,win hope & change.
Catchy slogans, though not nearly as realistic as no money honey
Or bendover darlin
Or bendover darlin