Joyce asks for reopening of Bainbridge Post Office

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, RRussell Township, is asking that the closed annex post office located in Bainbridge Township be reopened.

The office that was located on Washington Street closed in June 2012, with the operations moving 2.3 miles down the road to Chagrin Falls Post Office.

“Since that time, the local population has increased significantly and has caused additional demand to the existing post office in Chagrin Falls,” Joyce wrote in a letter to Acting District Manager of the U.S. Cleveland Post Office Sharon Young. “Per the request of the local elected officials we met with, I would respectfully ask you look into the possibility of reopening the closed (Bainbridge) annex office.”

The letter Joyce sent to the acting district manager comes after Joyce, Bainbridge Township Trustee Kristina O’Brien and Auburn Township Trustee Mike Troyan met with Young. Joyce said he’s heard about dwindling service from both trustees and constituents.

Bainbridge and Auburn trustees also held a joint work session and special public forum June 7 regarding the state of the delivery service and customer service provided by the Chagrin Falls post office since the closing of the Bainbridge Post Office Annex. A representative from Joyce’s office also was in attendance.

According to the minutes, about 30 residents attended the meeting held in response to “numerous letters of complaints and concerns from residents of Auburn and Bainbridge townships about the lack of parking, long lines with waits for window service, poor delivery service and rude employees.”

In his letter to Young, Joyce outlined three specific requests, reopening the Bainbridge office being one of them.

The second request addressed the customer service complaints at the Chagrin Falls office.

“As you heard from the trustees, there have been numerous complaints about the attitude of certain postal employees at the Chagrin Falls branch. The trustees have taken the steps to post on their websites the link and number to call the post office if there is a complaint about service, but any additional steps you can take when it comes to training employees will be appreciated among the local residents,” Joyce wrote in the letter.

Joyce’s third request centered on the numerous delivery issue complaints received by the township trustees and his own office.

“One of the more egregious examples was when Bainbridge Township sent out a certified letter to residents letting them know about an upcoming road project meeting and those notices were never delivered,” Joyce wrote. “I appreciated your explanation about how this might have been caused when there is a newer delivery carrier handling the mail, but any additional training that these new employees could receive would be beneficial for the residents.”

A representative from Joyce’s office said they expect to get a response from Young between 30 and 90 days.

Joyce