Ferndale Post Office on List for Closure Study but Not A 'Done Deal'

The key word from Thursday night's public forum at the about the future of the Ferndale Post Office was "change."

Ed Moore, Detroit district spokesman for the United States Postal Service, said that revenue is already down 42 percent this year. Last year, he said, the post office lost $5 billion. This year, in 2011, it has already lost $5 billion.

"This is our fourth year in a row with a multibillion dollar loss," he said to an audience of about 20, about half of which were postal workers employees. Post Offices doen't receive tax revenue and supports itself solely on the purchase of services, mainly stamps, Moore said.

"The root cause is digital communication, online payments, receiving bills online," he said. "Electronic services of mail is playing a big part in our decline."

This decline in revenue and usage has put Ferndale on a list of 17 other Detroit area post offices to be studied and reviewed for closure.

Moore, however, was adamant that the placement on the list doesn't mean the closure is a done deal.

"People don't hear study, they don't hear review," he said. "People hear closure."

Sending packages from the Dollar Castle, and other options

The list of Post Offices potentially slated for closure took into account not just decline in revenue and volume, but other options for service in the area if the Ferndale post office were to close.

For instance, at the on West Nine Mile Road, you can mail packages and buy stamps. You can also buy stamps at the two CVS locations in Ferndale.

A few audience members expressed skepticism on the safety and security of the mail when using these contract locations.

"Contract stations are nothing new," Moore told the audience. "They've been in place for years and they have the same safety and security as the post office."

Also part of the study of closures is a survey about residents' usage of the postal service. This survey can be picked up from the . Moore said the Post Office would accept surveys for 60 days from Sept. 29.

In an attempt to save money, Moore said the post office network has already reduced routes and reduced staff on upper level management, but the losses keep mounting.

"We're looking at every nook and cranny, every possible option to control cost," he said. "If we don't control cost, we might not have a post office at all. We just can't stay the same, like it was 20 years ago."

Your P.O. box wouldn't change

If the Post Office were to close, Moore said, zip codes would stay the same, as would P.O. boxes. They would be in a different location, he said, but they wouldn't change. "You may have to adjust something, do something a little different, go a little further," he said.

Other measures included extended hours for the Post Office, Moore said.

Did the word get out about the forum?

One postal worker in the audience stood up and said he was "enraged" to see so few people at the forum, noting there apparently was a mix-up with the letters there were supposed to go out to the residents.

Moore said that the letter generated to inform Ferndale residents of the forum originally had the forum taking place at . Post Office officials deemed that AJ's Music Café would not be conducive for the forum. So the letters that were shipped from Memphis, where they were generated, were revoked. New ones were sent out, however, Moore said he wasn't sure how many of those letters made it to the Ferndale residents in time.

Building won't become eyesore if shuttered

Former mayor asked if the Post Office does indeed close in Ferndale, what happens to the building. "The structure, if it goes vacant and becomes an eye­­sore, will you sell the building?" Porter asked.

"If we close the postal service, we will put it up (for sale), but it won't be an eyesore. That's one of our commitments to you," Moore said.

Closure of Post Offices won't take place until the first of the year, Moore said. He added that if Ferndale's Post Office does close, the community would be informed before the first of the year.

Surveys can be picked up at the Ferndale Post Office.