Posted on Thu, Aug 20, 2009 : 5:12 p.m.
South University postal station on USPS potential closing list; customer survey planned
By Edward Vielmetti
Patrons of the South University postal branch who are concerned about its proposed closing should anticipate a letter from the USPS on that proposal, said Edward Moore, a post office spokesman in the Detroit office.
"Technology has made America more efficient in how they conduct their business," he noted, saying the post office doesn't have the volume to sustain all of the branches and substations it currently operates.
Moore indicated the cost of leasing space is a factor in the decision, as well as the amount of traffic at each facility and the community feedback from customer surveys.
The Ann Arbor postmaster could not be reached for comment. No date has been set for the survey mailing.
Comments
Al Blixt
Tue, Aug 25, 2009 : 2:11 p.m.
Yes, there is a station at Fifth and Division. Is it walkable? Depends on where you start. I invite you to walk, as many students will, from one of the dorms on the hill (Markley, Stockwell, etc.) with a box of books you are shipping. Now imagine it is winter. The extra distance to Liberty is about a mile. The line at South U is often 20-30 minutes. The line at Liberty is often the same. Imagine all that traffic combined.So now you walk an extra 20-25 minutes and stand in line for an hour. Can you see the problem? Parcel shippers have private sector choices on campus. FedEx and UPS. What will the net effect be on PO revenue? What about public opinion? This is not to say the closure won't happen, it may. But, when all the factors are considered, it is not necessarily a wise decision and there may be unintended consequences. At a minimum, a full public review of the decision is called for.
Al Blixt
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 : 10:04 a.m.
There has been a post office somewhere on the U-M central campus for at least 75 years. The South U station replaced the old station in the Nickels Arcade some time in the 1990's. It serves a huge population of students who I see in long lines every day during the school year. Most of them live in dorms and apartments on campus and many don't have cars. The question is not whether the AA post office needs to cut costs, which it probably does. The question is whether the US Postal Service as an obligation to serve this segment of their market. I will be writing my representatives in Congress to protest this short-sighted idea.
Matt Van Auker
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 3:30 p.m.
Yeah, it's not like South U. is safety central, or anything. I can't blame them.
Deb Burch
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 5:22 a.m.
Is there actually a postmaster assigned to Ann Arbor? I have tried many times to contact this person and the option is to leave a voice mail and that never gets returned.