by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
Downtown may be without a post office early in 2003.
A U.S. Postal Service policy and a lack of response to a Request For Proposals (RFP) have combined to stymie the local post office’s search for a new downtown location.
The downtown post office presently is in the Federal Courthouse, but the City takes over that building Jan. 1 and, according to the mayor’s office, “we don’t want any tenants when we get it.”
The Federal Courthouse will be integrated into the new $211 million County Courthouse complex, and was part of a land swap between the City and the federal government. Several months ago, a deal was finalized between the General Services Administration and the City in which the GSA would receive 104 parking spaces in the Water Street garage for 20 years in exchange for the old Federal Courthouse.
“This is more complicated than it should be,” said Brad Thoburn of the mayor’s office, who is trying to help the post office maintain a central city presence. “The post office is trying its best, and we’re working with them and the Downtown Development Authority to find space.”
The problems:
• The USPS has put a freeze on leasing new space. Thus, the local post office can’t find a vacant building and make a move.
• No one has responded to the RFP. “It may not be generally known around the community yet,” said Thoburn. “But, no one has shown an interest.” The RFP calls for a considerably larger facility than those scattered around the city in various businesses. The RFP respondent would pay a fee for contract services and a percentages of sales.
Thus, it appears that if the post office can’t find a new home, central city businesses will have to make the trek to either the Kings Avenue bulk mail facility on the west side of I-95 or the Springfield post office at Main and 6th streets.
Not having a downtown post office would dramatically affect many. There are hundreds of post office boxes in the courthouse, plus it is a full service facility capable of handling any postal need.
“We want a downtown post office,” said Thoburn, “but we don’t want the City to be in the postal business. We need someone with vacant space to step forward.”