City to appeal post office facility decision

The Healdsburg City Council decided on Monday to appeal a
decision made recently by the United States Postal Service to make
the Foss Creek facility its permanent location in Healdsburg.
After months of efforts to persuade the post office to re-open a
downtown office, the appeal will likely be the city’s last
shot.
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 said he realized all
along that the USPS was going to choose to permanently move to the
Foss Creek building, but that he thought the council should make
one last appeal.
“I would like to see it through to be quite honest,” Wood
said.
According to Jim Wigdel, USPS district representative, the
appeal is part of a legal process set forth by postal service
regulations.
“Any person may request in writing that the decision be reviewed
by the Vice President, Facilities at Postal Service Headquarters
(in Washington DC). No particular format is required for requesting
review, but the request must be in writing and identify the post
office or location affected; and should identify the decision
objected to, and state the reasons for the objection. Upon review
of the facts, the VP, or a representative, will issue a written
determination, if possible within 15 days,” he said.
Rick Romero, a local businessman, praised the council for its
attempts even though everyone, he said, was well aware of how the
post office would respond.
“You folks have done everything you could do, in my mind,”
Romero told the council. “We knew exactly what they were going to
say. Did they think we were that idiotic, that we would believe we
would end up anywhere other than where we are right now.”
Councilmembers and residents continued to complain about the
traffic circulation and an inconvenient parking lot.
Healdsburg Public Works Director Mike Kirn said he would be in
touch with the businesses in the Foss Creek Circle area to survey
whether or not they would be in favor of making the circle one-way
to try to ease the confusion.
Councilmember Gary Plass said he sees near misses all day from
his office window on Foss Creek Circle.
“If everyone was going in one direction and parking in one
direction, there would really only be a need for one lane,” he
said.