Many thanks are due Columbus Underground for bringing attention to the closure of the Post Office branch located in the King-Lincoln district. Our neighborhood Post Office closed “temporarily” on June 12, reportedly due to a broken air conditioner. In July, a communication specialist for the USPS told Columbus Underground reporter Anne Evans that the landlord for that property was working on getting a contractor in to fix the air conditioning unit. At least one resident of our neighborhood received a notice saying that our Post Office would reopen August 22.
While two months to repair an air conditioning unit seemed an unusually lengthy period, we were hopeful that the residents of our community would soon have access to their usual post office boxes and other mail services. This is especially important for our neighbors who do not have their own transportation, as the combined walk and bus ride to get to the nearest open full service Post Office requires two hours round trip.
Today is August 25, and our Post Office branch has not reopened. None of the signs on the doors noting the temporary closure have been revised, and there is nothing to indicate that it will be reopened. The USPS has not responded to my inquiries regarding the status of the branch.
The closure of our Post Office branch at this particular moment in time additionally makes it more difficult to submit an absentee ballot request, and if not opened soon, it will very likely contribute to the disenfranchisement of many in our community.
We need for our neighbors in the larger Columbus community – Arlington, Bexley, Worthington, Westerville and more – to support the King-Lincoln district and call for the Post Office to reopen our branch as soon as possible.
