Is city post office’s fate sealed?
Albany residents fear New Scotland Avenue site’s closing is for good
City officials are pushing to come up with a permanent solution after the closure of the Academy Station post office on New Scotland Avenue.
The post office branch closed Aug. 11 in preparation for construction of the Rise, a large, mixed-use project at 563 New Scotland Ave. that has been in development for years.
The U.S. Postal Service directed customers who normally used the Academy Station to the Fort Orange post office, two miles away on Central Avenue, and is in the process of opening a temporary location on Ontario Street to make up for the closure.
But city officials, mindful of the loss of several city post offices nine years ago, are worried the New Scotland Avenue location could be closed for good.
After the closure of those branches, the New Scotland Avenue location was the only post office branch in the city west of South Swan Street and south of Washington Avenue.
On Monday, city, state and federal representatives gathered for an expected meeting with a Postal Service representative to discuss the matter. But that person never showed up, leaving local officials frustrated.
Councilwoman Judy Doesschate, who co-sponsored a resolution with council members Joseph Igoe and Cathy Fahey, is asking the Postal Service to commit to remaining in the New Scotland Avenue location, noting the Academy Station branch is on a well-serviced bus line near major businesses and one that the neighborhood association is fighting to hold on to.
“There is a sentiment that the post office branch belongs back on New Scotland Avenue, which is our community equivalent of Main Street,” she said at Monday’s Common Council meeting.
Fahey noted that if there isn’t strong enough pushback, the branch could disappear if the Postal Service decides it no longer needs the temporary location.
“It really comes down to funding, money for the USPS,” she said. “Everyone should pay attention to this. Many of these branches can be closed, it’s much harder to close an official post office.”
If the Academy Station doesn’t return to its original location it would leave few nearby options for residents in large portions of the city, especially those who don’t have access to a car.
In an emailed statement, Postal Service spokesman Steve Doherty said he was unaware of any planned meeting earlier this week and reiterated that the Postal Service’s expectation was to open a temporary postal branch at the former Palladium site on Ontario Street.
“We have secured a lease at 363 Ontario St. and are in the process of doing the necessary renovations to make that our new home,” he said. “While there’s no firm timetable on completion of that project, we look forward to announcing a grand opening there as soon as feasible.”
Jankow Companies, which is developing the mixed-used property on New Scotland Avenue, has set aside 2,000 square feet for the postal service to reopen a permanent branch once construction is complete but hasn’t gotten a commitment from the postal service, Doesschate said.
“Everyone would rest easier if a commitment was made,” she said.
A representative from the company did not return a call for comment.
City officials raised the question of whether city residents were being treated fairly.
The city has nearly 100,000 residents but only four postal branches, including one at the state Capitol.
Mayor Kathy Sheehan said she believed the move would have a disparate impact on the neighborhood’s residents.
“We initially thought things would work out – the post office would temporarily move out and then back in,” she said. “Now it appears that’s not what the U.S. Postal Service has planned. It makes no sense given the density of the population in that area.”