After almost a year of being closed for renovations, the Mosholu Post Office on Jerome Avenue will reopen on March 14, according to a spokesperson for the United States Postal Service.
“I’m so happy that it’s going to reopen!” local resident Tamara Rivera said. Since the post office closed its doors last April, Rivera said customers like herself were forced to go to other post offices, which were either “too far away or packed with 50 customers waiting in line.”
Rivera and others have bided their time since the Mosholu office suddenly and mysteriously shut down for “emergency” repairs last year.
Darlene Reid, a spokesperson for the United States Postal Service (USPS) explained that the ceiling of the Mosholu branch was “leaking and pieces were falling down from the ceiling, which was a safety hazard for employees and customers.”
After shutting down, the post office announced it would be six months until they would be able to reopen. Reid said repairs might have taken longer because USPS does not own the building; the landlord was in charge of repairs. She added that “there was a delay because of the spacing of pencil rods in the ceiling. They had to go back in and fix that.”
“It has been so inconvenient. I’m a disabled person and about to get knee surgery and I’ve had to pay for a car to get me to a post office,” Jill Rosenburg said. “It’s just taken too long.” Other customers share Rosenburg’s aggravation. One male customer explained that he switched post offices and got a P.O. box at another post office because it has taken so long.
Reid confirmed that the branch will reopen March 14. For customers, it will not be a day too soon.
“It’s going be great with all this bad weather,” said Mariagoretti Ibe. “Having the post office open will make it so much more convenient.”
While the Mosholu Post Office is reopening, other Bronx branches might not be so lucky.
“The public should know we are looking at stations and branches nationwide and in the Bronx for closures,” Reid said. “The volume of mail is plummeting and we need to save money any way we can and one way we can do this is by consolidation.”
According to the USPS, “by law, post offices cannot be closed for solely economic reasons. Proximity to other post offices, stations or branches as well as expanded access locations are key to any decision.” Reid explained that there are internal studies being conducted now to evaluate which post offices will be closed. “It’s a 57-step process,” she said.
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
English
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese (Simplified)
French
Spanish
I am writing because I have been a PO Box renter at the Mosholu Branch USPS for more than 10 years. I was very disappointed in how the customers at this branch were not given fair warning of the closure, nor a time frame in which the branch would reopen. The hours of operation were shortened causing customers to not be able to retrieve their mail as frequently as needed. But to make matters worse the employees in the truck that were there to accommodate the patrons in place of the branch were picking and choosing when they would go on break causing the truck to be unattended at times. On several occasions they would literally put a sign ” on break will be back in 10 minutes” but no one on line knew what time the attendant left in the first place. After waiting more than 10 minutes one would ask how long really was the attendant gone. There would be swarms of people waiting in line puzzled about what was going on. On one occasion that the window was closed I noticed a worker sitting inside the van listening to her I pod and texting with the sign up again and after waiting 15 min another customer and I decided tap on the window and ask what was going on. At first she blatantly ignored us. When she saw we were not going to give up she opened the window with an attitude and told us we would have to wait for the attendant who left to the restroom. If the branch was not allowed to close the doors for breaks I don’t see why the same rule does not apply to the Post Office Bus. Working 9-5 Monday thru Friday and with the shortened hours it became difficult to go to the post office to retrieve my mail causing me to have to pay hundreds in late fees for my bills. And a big cause for that had to do with the fact that when I did have time the bus station was closed due to breaks. I am happy to hear the station is going 10 open back up but I am also very disgusted on how the customers were neglected the whole year it was closed down. Unfortunately the staff needs a supervisor on site in order to carry out their duties efficiently and professionally. Not long ago did I receive a bill to renew my membership and since I wanted to send a letter about my disappointment and see what options I had I did not renew my PO Box in a timely fashion. In turn the post office cancelled my membership. After more than 10 years and never a late payment, and through all the inconvenience that they caused others and myself that’s the appreciation and respect I have received from the United States Post Office. The one word that stands out to describe the situation is Horrible.