Meeting to address possible postal move

LYNN – City councilors meet Sept. 10 in City Hall to hear postal officials outline plans for relocating the Western Avenue post office.The Council ways and means committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. in room 402 is the first chance most councilors and local residents will have to review the relocation plans.?Postal officials will make a presentation explaining the details of this plan and listen to public comments,” Postal Service spokeswoman Melissa Lohnes stated in a press release.Lohnes earlier this month said federal officials are in the “very initial stages” of hearing what local residents have to say about a plan to move mail operations from 776 Western Ave., where the Postal Service has maintained a post office since 1942.The Postal Service is considering a plan, initially unveiled in June, to downsize the 5,500 square foot West Lynn post office by moving out of 776 Western Ave. and into a location about a fifth that size.A new site has not been chosen and Lohnes earlier this month said the plan will not move forward until after postal officials present their plans to the council and listen to local residents? views.Postal Service real estate specialist Joseph Mulvey, in a letter to city officials, stated that the West Lynn downsizing proposal fits into a national plan to scale down postal facilities in the wake of a 40 percent drop in mail volume over the last five years.?The Postal Service is in a very serious financial situation. Every opportunity to reduce expenses and generate revenue is being considered in order to maintain universal service to our customers,” wrote Mulvey.Postal officials will make a decision on the plan and announce it after reviewing local comments. Local residents will then have a 30-day opportunity to appeal the decision and a final decision on moving the West Lynn post office will not be made until after comments offered during the appeal period are reviewed.Part of the relocation plan calls for West Lynn letter carriers to move into “underutilized” space in the main post office on Willow Street.?If we decide to move ahead, there will be full retail services at the new location and no interruption in residential and commercial service,” Lohnes said.Anyone who cannot attend the Sept. 10 meeting can send written comments through Sept. 25 to Joseph J. Mulvey, U.S. Postal Service, 2 Congress St., Room 8, Milford, MA, 01757-9998.