A new moratorium on closures for the U.S. Postal Service means a decision on whether the Ferndale Post Office will remain open will not be made until mid-May, according to USPS Detroit district spokesman Ed Moore.

The post office in Ferndale is one of 17 post offices in the area that are being studied for possible closure. A decision had been expected before the first of the year; however, that changed due to the moratorium, Moore said.

“We won't be making any type of announcement until mid-May,” he said Monday. "Nothing will take place until May 15th."

The study itself is just about finished, Moore said, and officials are reviewing data.

“We are still doing an evaluation process,” he said.

The Postal Service held community forums in Ferndale in September and November to inform residents about the issue and to give them the opportunity to offer feedback.

Moore said at the September forum that revenue for the overall Postal Service was down 42 percent as of that date and that in 2010, the Postal Service lost $5 billion. Moore did not have official revenue numbers yet for 2011.

Considerations during the study included the proximity of other local post offices as well as alternative access locations for mailing packages or buying stamps, such as Dollar General and CVS, he said.

“A lot of things were involved,” Moore said.

Read more about the September community forum here.

Ferndale Patch will provide updates on this issue when more information becomes available.