Sandra Rybicki, the real estate specialist for the United States Postal Service (USPS), spoke at Houston’s City Council’s public forum on December 18, 2013, where she dropped a whopper of a notice to the city’s elected officials. Within three weeks, the USPS will begin to inventory six postal locations to see if the buildings are utilized to the max potential.
Southmore Station, Medical Center Station, University Station, Greenbriar Station, Julius Melcher Station and Memorial Park Station are all in question for closure if the USPS finds that the stations have too much excessive space within the retail area.
“This is an effort to optimize the network, as a result we are looking for ways to reduce cost, consolidate operations and increase efficiency,” said Rybicki.
These particular locations house both the retail and delivery side of the postal service.
USPS is legally mandated to inform the city government and the constituents of a post office change. The first step is to notify the city of the project, the second is to notify all city officials in the community where the changes could be, and then there will be a 15 day waiting period to see and evaluate responses from city officials and the public. USPS will formalize the process by sending written notification to the Mayor. The letter will be posted in each of the target post offices. Then there will be a 30 day waiting period for comment from the Mayor’s office or the community. During that waiting period they will assess the market for potential sites that meet USPS requirements and by the end of that period they will meet with USPS officials to
review those sites. Another letter will go out to the Mayor to outline the contending sites. That letter will also be posted to the door of the post offices in jeopardy and then another 30 day waiting process will begin. Once the final decision has been made there will be a final letter sent to the Mayor indicating the selected sites and that letter will be posted at each of the post offices and then there will be the last 30 day waiting period, according to Sandra Rybicki.
“The idea is to stay within a two to three mile radius if we have to relocate,” said Rybicki when Mayor Parker began to question the process of how the post office changes will affect Houstonians.
Councilmembers fired many questions about why there would be a change or the evaluation process. Councilmembers Wanda Adams, Oliver Pennington, Andrew Burks, Jr. expressed the importance of their community post office such as the historical value of the Southmore Station that has a historical marker on site.
“This is a very, very dense area and it’s getting denser. As it happens, I go by there often about two or three times a week. I was by there about 10:30 yesterday and both of the parking lots were full and that’s the retail and the service center,” said Councilmember Pennington about the Memorial Park Station. “I don’t think you can find a better location to service the area. It is a very valuable community asset.”
Pennington also stated that Congressional officials were not notified.
The public has to January 17, 2014 to write Sandra Rybicki with comments about saving their post office location.
Southmore Station, 4110 Almeda Rd, Houston, TX 77004, Medical Center Station, 7205 Almeda Rd, Houston, TX 77054 , University Station, 1319 Richmond Ave, Houston TX, 77006, Greenbriar Station, 3740 Greenbriar St. , Houston TX, 77098, Julius Melcher Station, 2802 Timmons Ln., Houston, TX 77027, Memorial Park Station, 10505 Town and Country Way, Houston, TX 77024.
Vice President, Facilities
c/o Sandra A. Rybicki, Real Estate Specialist
USPS Facilities
PO Box 667180
Dallas, TX 75266-7180