By Kristen Fogle | SDUN Reporter

The closure of the North Park post office in July came as a surprise to residents, many of whom are wondering where to carry out their mailing needs and what will be done with the vacant building that remains. The location at 3791 Grim Ave. had been in operation since 1951.

Residents started a letter writing campaign and posted banners to keep the doors open. They also received help from 4th District County Supervisor Ron Roberts and 53rd District Congresswoman Susan Davis to aide in rallying against the shut down.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) decided the North Park post office would be closed. In the past four fiscal years, the USPS reduced costs by $12 billion and reduced its career workforce by 110,000 employees nationwide.

Approximately 1,400 offices nationwide were listed as candidates for closure in January. As of mid July, 280 have been closed, leaving 1,120 remaining for review. A new list includes 3,700 facilities up for review, including the aforementioned 1,120 offices.

Eva Jackson, communications program specialist for the Postal Service San Diego District said, “The 3,700 retail offices on the recently announced current list [for closure] are still going through the review, and the community input process has been closed…more [post offices] could potentially shut their doors.” Over 100 California facilities are on the list. While no other offices in the Uptown area are candidates, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot location on Tientsen Street in Midtown is on the list.

Despite the closure of several branches to reduce USPS operating costs, it may not be enough to keep other doors open. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe told a Senate committee on Sept. 6 that without
enactment of legislation by the end of this month, the Postal Service faces default. This means the USPS will not have the funds to make a congressionally mandated $5.5 billion payment to prefund retiree health benefits.

In addition to prefunding retiree health benefits, the legislation the USPS is hoping for would achieve the following: return $6.9 billion in Federal Employees Retirement System overpayments, grant the Postal Service the authority to determine delivery frequency, allow the Postal Service to restructure its healthcare system to make it independent of federal programs, grant the Postal Service the authority to provide a defined contribution retirement plan for new hires and streamline the process for product development and pricing.

In the meantime, residents are encouraged to use the Hillcrest post office at 3911 Cleveland Ave., 1.5 miles away from the closed North Park location and the Normal Heights post office at 3288 Adams Ave., located
approximately 1.4 miles away from the North Park location.

A postal worker at the Hillcrest office who asked to remain anonymous said, “If we thought we were busy before…the last few months have seen a lot of action at our branch.” He suggests the Mission Valley Postal Store at 1640 Camino Del Rio North and the UPS store at 3245 University Ave. as additional options.

“Yes, there are still places to mail items,” said North Park resident Joey Gold, who lives near the closed location. “Now,” he continued, “it’s just a big inconvenience to go to the remaining stations or stores.”

Another issue of concern is the building itself. With a Main Street reminiscent façade, some neighbors are concerned with its preservation.

“It’s just such a distinct part of North Park’s history,” said North Park resident Jennifer Siegwart, “Whatever happens to that place, I hope they just keep its look.”

Other residents are excited for what the building could be. Local freelance designer Pauli Faktor is looking forward to what could potentially go in to the space. “With North Park’s restaurant and bar scene thriving,”
Faktor said, “I would love to see a space that serves the area’s nightlife but also retains the down home feel of the space… I’m a big fan of that piece of property. If the new owner wants a renovation, I’m sure he or she will have no problem finding an architect or designer who wants to tackle that place,” she added.