Northfield Residents: Fight to Save Downtown Post Office

Let them find steel.

After nearly an hour of discussion Tuesday morning at the Archer House, that was the sentiment many folks felt when it came to the United States Postal Service considering post office with its carrier annex on Hwy. 3 South.

Ross Currier, executive director of the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, led the forum and has been one of the most vocal Northfielders against the possible consolidation since it was announced last month.

He said rumors that the post office has already been selected for shuttering are inaccurate. Peter Nowacki, a spokesperson for the USPS, confirmed that no decisions have been made public yet.

Currier told the room of more than 30 people that he’s heard mostly supportive comments about the fight to keep the downtown staple open, but said there have been others who say it doesn’t make economic sense to keep it open.

“I go to the post office every day,” he said. “We feel no shame in fighting the close of the post office.”

The conversation continues at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. at Northfield City Hall. There is time for public comment at the meeting.

A USPS representative is scheduled to be at the meeting and speak with the council, which is a conversation some fear will be the official notice of closure. If that’s the case, the city has an undetermined period of time to appeal the decision.

Petitions have been floating around for a few weeks now to combat that very fear. Online petitions can be signed on and the Northfield News. Petitioners can sign physical copies at Used-A-Bit Shop, Studio Elements, Aquatic Pets, Just Food Co-op and the Northfield News.

Currier said the downtown boasts approximately 260 businesses and several hundred residents within walking distance of the post office. Should the post office vacate the downtown, he said it’d be detrimental to not only the way of life for people in Northfield, but for the financial vitality of downtown.

Downtown business owner Bart de Malignon said it’s imperative to be clear about the message Northfield residents are trying to send: Are they trying to keep the post office in the downtown office, where it’s been since 1936? Are they trying to keep the post office service desk in the building and allow other entities to use other space in the building? Or are they simply trying to keep a post office presence in downtown?

Currier, along with Councilor Suzie Nakasian, who represents part of downtown, emphatically said it’s about keeping the post office in the building it’s called home for 75 years.

“That is our incubator,” Nakasian said. If the post office leaves the building, “We have an empty dinosaur at the heart of our downtown.”

Many Northfield residents encouraged those in the room to raise their voice. Without a fight, they said, the USPS could simply disregard Northfield. Others said instead of going all-in on trying to keep the post office in its current building, it should start considering back-up plans.

Should the USPS vacate the building, the city gets the first right-of-refusal for the property, Nakasian said.

In March, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe told Congress that despite trimming $9 billion in costs, the United States Postal Service wouldn’t survive as a self-financing entity without significant changes to current law.

The plan is to take out another $2 billion in 2011, Donahoe told Congress. But the Postal Service still lost a “staggering” $8.5 billion in 2010 and is projecting to be in the red this year by $6.4 billion, the USPS reports.

The Northfield site is one of 16,000 offices considered for closure or consolidation. There are about 32,000 post offices throughout the country.

Nearly 500 branches closed last year, according to the USPS.

WANT TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE POSTMASTER GENERAL?

Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20260-0010

Anthony Williams, Regional District Manager
Northland District
U.S. Postal Service
100 1st Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401-9990
612-349-3505