Nadler Asks Postmaster To Reconsider Closing Brighton Post Office

Following reports that the Brighton Beach Post Office at 3157 Coney Island Avenue is slated for potential closure, Congressman Jerold Nadler is fighting to keep it open.

Nadler wrote the following letter to the postmaster general:

Dear Postmaster General Donahoe:

As the Congressional representative for the 8th Congressional District in New York, I am writing concerning the proposed closures of several post offices in my district. It has come to my attention the Brighton Retail Station at 3157 Coney Island Avenue in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, the Ovington Retail Station at 6803 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and the 26 Federal Plaza and Port Authority Retail Stations in Manhattan are among the 3,653 retail stations being studied for closure nationwide by the United States Postal Service (USPS).

I understand that difficult decisions need to be made by the USPS in the face of serious budgetary concerns due to declining revenue. However, I strongly recommend that the USPS keep the Brighton and Ovington Retail Stations open, as these stations are located in neighborhoods where the communities rely on their local post offices on a daily basis. Additionally, I have heard serious concerns from the communities served by the 26 Federal Plaza and Port Authority retail stations.

The Brighton Retail Station is the only postal station in Brighton Beach, an area with many elderly, infirm and foreign-born individuals, a large number of whom use their local postal station on a regular basis. The neighborhood surrounding the Brighton Retail Station is home to more than 20 percent of residents above 65 years of age, almost twice the percentage of senior citizens in Brooklyn, and far higher than the national count, according to the U.S. Census. In addition, more than half of the residents of this neighborhood are foreign-born, and nearly a quarter of the population is disabled. Brighton Beach is also home to a thriving retail corridor, and businesses rely on the services provided by their local post office. When the station was in danger of closing last year after a proposed rent increase, my office and the USPS worked together with the landlord to sign a five year lease. I ask that you honor this lease going forward and keep the Brighton Retail Station open, for the good of the community and for local businesses.

The Ovington Retail Station’s closure would negatively impact many of my constituents in the neighborhood who rely on the station for their postal needs. In particular, the closure would affect the many seniors and the disabled who reside in this part of Bay Ridge. This neighborhood has a high percentage of disabled residents when compared with the rest of Brooklyn and with the national average, according to the last U.S. Census count. In addition, about half of the residents in the surrounding neighborhood are foreign-born, according to Census data. These populations, as well as local businesses, have come to rely on the Ovington Station, and its loss would make it difficult for them to access postal services.

As you study the impact of the potential closures, I also urge you to strongly consider the impact of closing the 26 Federal Plaza and Port Authority retail station on their surrounding communities. My office has been contacted by community members who utilize these two Manhattan post offices with concerns about their closure, especially regarding the impact on disabled individuals who use these stations.

I ask that you keep these postal stations open to ensure that residents and business communities do not lose vital resources.

I appreciate your attention to this important matter.