By Rebecca Henely
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) announced at a rally last week that more than 1,000 people have signed a petition to keep the Grand Post Office open. This was the second rally this month to save the Astoria office.
“This is an important post office that is serving the community,” Maloney said.
The office, at 45-08 30th Ave. in Astoria, is one of four the U.S. Postal Service has marked for potential closure in Queens. The others are the Holliswood post office at 197-33 Hillside Ave., the Rosedale post office at 145-06 243rd St., the Arverne post office at 329 Beach 59th St. and the Rockaway Beach post office at 90-14 Rockaway Beach Blvd.
District Leader Costa Constantinides originally held a rally Aug. 8 to keep the post office open, but Maloney held another last Thursday. The congresswoman said keeping the Grand Office open is crucial since the nearest post office, at 21-17 Broadway, is nearly a half-mile away, a long distance in a city where many walk.
She also said many in the area use the post office.
“Every time you come here, there’s a line,” Maloney said.
The congresswoman said the office was identified as a candidate for closure because it earned less than $600,000 in revenue this year, but the office actually came close to that sum, falling short by less than $40,000.
In addition to collecting signatures, Maloney also wrote a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to keep Grand open.
Darleen Reid, a USPS spokeswoman, said in an earlier interview that the shutdowns have not yet been finalized.
Constantinides said about 30 to 40 people attended last week’s rally and that it was important to keep pressure on the USPS.
“As many rallies as it possibly takes to make the post office understand,” Constantinides said.
Many neighborhood electeds have supported keeping the post office open.
City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) attended both rallies.
“While we are aware that the huge decrease in the amount of mail being sent will result in a smaller post office, Queens residents should stick together to ensure our borough is treated fairly during this process,” Vallone said in a statement.
Borough President Helen Marshall also released a statement in support of keeping the post office open and said solutions other than closing offices and eliminating jobs should be looked at first.
“Closing a facility like this one means that many senior citizens will have to walk longer distances on hot and freezing days, mailing costs will not be ascertained easily and mailing packages will become a much bigger problem,” Marshall said in a statement.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
