City council to discuss post office appeal Monday night

The Healdsburg City Council will discuss Monday night whether or
not to appeal the decision made last week by the US Postal Service
to make the Foss Creek facility its permanent home.
Residents and city councilmembers have urged the post office to
relocate to another downtown location after the loss of the Center
Street post office to a fire last August.
But, a final decision was made last week by national
representatives of the USPS, which gave the city two weeks to make
a final appeal on the location decision.
Healdsburg City Councilmember Jim Wood was Mayor when the fire
destroyed the downtown post office and led the effort from the city
to try to retain postal services downtown. Wood said Tuesday night
that he thinks the city should appeal the decision.
“They pretty much just said that this was their final decision,”
Wood said. “I am not optimistic about changing their minds, but
this appears to be the last opportunity we have to make ourselves
heard.”
After postal officials dismissed calls from members of the
community for the downtown post office to be rebuilt, local
political pressure was applied by the city and US Congressman Mike
Thompson’s office.
The USPS responded by sending out a survey and agreeing to a
public meeting, all the while maintaining that the Foss Creek
facility was their preferred location.
When the post office was located downtown on Center Street, it
was housed in a building that had been degrading for some time.
When the post office was in the Center Street building, the USPS
was paying more than $100,000 in rent. Even before the fire, postal
officials had looked into consolidating into the newer, more modern
Foss Creek Circle facility.
But traffic and parking were always considered problematic and
customers have complained that with the increase in business at the
Foss Creek Circle facility, the location has become even more
unsafe.
At a public meeting held in January, postal representatives said
they would make further improvements to the traffic and circulation
pattern at the Foss Creek Circle facility.
“It is hard to see how they can expect to survive longterm if
their only approach to an ineffective business model is
consolidation,” Wood said.
As provided by United States Postal Service guidelines, members
of the Healdsburg community have until March 16, 2011 to appeal the
decision. Appeals should be directed to Vice President, Facilities,
and addressed as follows:
Vice President, Facilities
Attn: Diana K. Alvarado
Facilities Planning and Requirements
395 Oyster Point Boulevard, Suite 225
South San Francisco, CA 94080-0300
The Healdsburg City Council will meet on Monday evening at 6
p.m. at Healdsburg City Hall.
Tribune Editor Kerrie Lindecker can be reached at [email protected].