Save OUR Post Office

Appeals

This is almost the end of the whole determination and appeals process. The PRC will consider our case at their regualr meeting at the beginning of February, and then the last possible step is oral argument, in which you can be sure that we will be enthusiastic participants, should it be required!!! At the meeting the PRC will decide whether to uphold the Determination to Close, or whether to remand our case back to the USPS for further work or dismissal. The Save our Holman Post Office committee's final appeal is in the form of comments inserted into USPS's final appeal to the PRC. Read both appeals in the committee's one document. Two smaller documents from Derrick Dennis, the Public Representative and Jack Rains also have been posted. Don't miss the picture of the committee writing the appeal to the final determination.

There is an extensive site with lots of data and stories at Save the Post Office. They find the same problems that we encountered such as fuzzy math, poor research and arbitrary decisions are universal. Lots of other stuff too. For instance, I found that on the list of planned closings, as of the end of July, 19% of the Post Offices scheduled for closing are in New Mexico. The following information is from their site.

The OIG wants your opinion on post office closings.

January 12, 2012

The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is doing an "audit overview" of the Retail Access Optimization initiative (RAOI), the Postal Service's plan to close 3,652 post offices. The OIG wants to hear your opinion.

The OIG helps maintain the integrity and accountability of the Postal Service through independent audits and investigations. The OIG has already issued one report about the RAOI (pdf here), and now the OIG wants to go another step by hearing from the public about post office closings.

Here's what the OIG website says:

On July 26, 2011, the Postal Service announced the Retail Access Optimization Initiative (RAOI), to examine whether to continue providing retail services and products at over 3,600 Postal Service operated retail facilities. The Postal Service’s attempt to adjust its network by closing retail facilities has stirred public debate and resistance because of the affect on jobs, service, employees, and communities.

On December 13, 2011, at the request of multiple U.S. Senators, the Postal Service announced a five-month moratorium on closing Post Offices and Processing and Distribution Centers until May 15, 2012. Subsequently, on December 30, 2011, the Postal Regulatory Commission issued an advisory opinion, stating that the RAOI is likely to affect service on a nationwide basis and is not designed to optimize the retail network.

What is the impact to you if your local Post Office is closed?
Should the Postal Service continue to optimize its network by closing retail facilities, or are there better opportunities available?
Should the Postal Service maintain its traditional brick and mortar presence or expand alternate access locations to purchase services and products?
Should the Postal Service close or consolidate retail facilities that are in close proximity to other facilities?
Do you currently use, or will use, your carrier, USPS.com, or other alternate access channels to provide services such as parcel pick-up and stamp purchase instead of a traditional brick and mortar Post Office?

This audit is a great opportunity to share your thoughts about post offices and the Postal Service. Go to the OIG website and leave your comments here.

Watch us on KRQE.

Our representatives

Congressman Lujan's office has prepared a formal letter to the post office.
Senator Udall wrote us. You can read his letter here.
Senator Bingaman wrote back. Read his letter here.

You can read all documents submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission. Go to their website and select "dockets search"in the menu the top of the page . In the docket No. window scroll down and select A2012-18. Click on submit. Ther is a list of all documents submitted to the PRC. Click on any one to read it.

Of particular interest is the Advisory Opinion on Retail Access Optimization Initiative which basically says the closure policy was poorly conceived and badly administered.

Read the Meeting Report about the original meeting in the Mora PO parking lot. The petition presented to USPS at the meeting with 182 signatures can be read here.

Contact us at saveholmanpo@hotmail.com.

A comment page has been added. Although we will read all comments, irrelevant or redundant comments will not be published. In particular, reasons pointing out benefits to the postal service of keeping Holman PO open will receive top billing. Remember this is an advocacy site, not a debate site. Negative comments will probably be discarded.Read the comments.

117 Years of Service!

Read the history of the Holman Post Office.

Here is some backgound information on postal closings and other communities fighting back.