Post office could close doors

“This is the beginning of a process to determine what to do with the facility,” said spokeswoman Maureen Marion. The Postal Service will hold a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Quaker Street fire station to discuss the proposal, Marion said. Letters were sent to area residents about the meeting.

The Quaker Street Post Office is part-time and has 30 rental boxes. The clerk who works there also works at a nearby post office. “That’s a small facility,” Marion said.

Should the Postal Service close it, residents of the 12141 ZIP code would be able to obtain services at two nearby offices on Railroad Avenue and Duanesburg Road, Marion said.

The Postal Service is looking to reduce a $2.8 billion deficit. Over the past year, it cut 41,000 jobs through attrition and now has a hiring freeze.

Local resident Ken Sanders said the Postal Service tried to close Quaker Street at least once before, but residents fought the move. “We want to get the word out about what they are trying to do,” he said.

Marion said the Postal Service considers many factors in the closure process. One is the hours of service. She said Quaker Street is open two hours a day, six hours a week, indicating a lack of demand for services.

“We have to look at ways to control costs and grow business where we can,” Marion said.

The Postal Service is also looking at closing a small post office in Oneida, the only other facility in the region affected, Marion said.

“It can save money to close two small stations. We are in a difficult business climate. Sometimes our savings are not always dramatic, but they can be in savings of time, fuel, gas, rent and utilities,” she said.