USPS studying idea to close 2 Lake Tahoe post offices
By Kathryn Reed
When people in Homewood go to their box at the post office today they will receive a notice stating the U.S. Postal Service is beginning to investigate the possibility of closing the office.
The same study is taking place regarding the Glenbrook office.
“We are looking at locations that are stacked on top of each other, so we can still meet everyone’s needs and reduce our brick and mortar operation,” explained David Rupert, USPS spokesman.
The Bijou office in South Lake Tahoe closed in June 2010. That closure is estimated to save the Postal Service $2 million in 10 years. Down the road discussions about what to do with the Stateline office will begin in earnest.
On the West Shore, there are about 600 active boxes in Homewood. About 1.5 miles away in Tahoma are another 600 boxes.
Homewood box holders are invited to a meeting June 23 at 6pm at 740 Timberland Lane, Tahoe City to discuss ideas.
This is the beginning of the study process, Rupert said, stressing no decision has been made.
Some options include moving all Homewood customers to Tahoma, closing the retail windows and leaving the boxes, or having a remote location for mail pick up.
Dealing with the Glenbrook office may pose more issues because the next closest retail location in seven miles away in Round Hill. An option being considered is cluster boxes for those 150 customers.
“The problem is we have a very small post office that brings in very little money in Glenbrook. The costs are very expensive between the facility and the personnel,” Rupert said. “To have them kind of babysitting 150 boxes is hard to justify in this economic environment.”
Glenbrook postal customers have a meeting set for June 8 at 6m at the golf course.
Any changes to the post offices would not happen until the end of the year.
I’ve gone through 2 closings in SLT and if you think the USPS won’t close these offices you are dilusional. They aren’t investigating closing them they are pre-announcing the closures. Better move you boxes now to the next closest office which isn’t mentioned.
I remember when I got my PO box at Lake Valley station in 1976. Finally no more General Delivery! They told me that the Lake Valley post office was closing soon and I should get a box at the main post office…
Back in 1976 the main post office was at Bijou — now closed
If the USPS is looking to save money, why have they not sold the property at Pioneer Trail and Black Bart. That post office has been closed several years. Why doesn’t the CTC buy the property and keep it open space, or make it parking for the planned bike trail.
Steven, STPUD was looking at the building to turn it into into some kind of offsight office. The USPS has been operating at a defict almost since they started and they wouldn’t know what to do with all the workers as they cannot get rid of them like a location. Just like the Ca Parks closing, the sites close but the workers are moved to another location. Remember, these are government jobs and that means that those jobs are almost for life. Government workers are about the only ones who have benefits left and the Federal Government can’t get rid of workers without adding to the unemployment and downturn of the economy. If it wasn’t for government jobs unemployment would be at 60%.
“Glenbrook postal customers have a meeting set for June 8 at 6m at the golf course.”
Lots of angry rich people, loaded on wine and cheese.
Actually, our Postal Work force is down more than 100,000 over the last five years. We aren’t just shuffling people.
I sit corrected, thanks Dave.
STPUD owns the building at pioneer and black bart. The land belonged to the USFS and STPUD traded SEZ land for it. USPS leased it from above.
once again, I sit corrected, Thanks Lou
Skibum, I don’t know what you mean about a deficit from the begining. It has only been a few years since the USPS made a BILLION dollar profit a couple years in a row. That was when a lot of their employees had USPS credit cards and were charging everything from nights at strip clubs to limos!! Now they are broke and want tax dollars to stay afloat. Remember, USPS is a private company, overseen by the government. If they are going to continue to compete, maybe they should move mail 7 days a week and keep offices open, at least some hours, 7 days a week. And be open early and late so everyone has a chance to use them.
Actually, Steven, we are not looking for any tax dollars.
We are paying our bills and would not be running deficits if it werent our congressionally mandated requirement to prefund our postal retiree health plans. we are having to pay 30 years of benefits in an 8-year compressed schedule. This years bill? $5.5 billion.
No company or federal agency anywhere has to do this. They all pay their retirees out of current operational funding.
So what we are asking is for a change in this requirement and permission for five day delivery.