USPS to close another Fort Smith station

The U.S. Postal Service announced late Tuesday (Feb. 1) it will on March 26 close the 3400 Rogers Ave. station in Fort Smith.

The station, near Creekmore Park, has been on the possible closure list for more than two years, with local postal union members as far back as picketing the to oppose the closure as far back as September 2009.

“The Rogers Avenue Station will close Saturday, March 26, 2011 and affected postal employees will be reassigned in accordance with applicable collective bargaining agreements and established repositioning processes,” noted the USPS statement.

When the station closes, it will be the second Fort Smith office to close within the past five months. The USPS closed on Nov. 20 the South Fort Smith Station on South 32nd St.

Stations still open in Fort Smith are:
• Fianna Hills Station, 2712 Market Trace;
• Midland Station, 3100 Wirsing Ave.;
• Fort Smith General Mail Facility, 3318 S. 74th St.;
• Downtown Station, 1020 Garrison Ave.; and,
• Barling Station, 609 Fort St.

Also, the USPS announced Dec. 3 it is studying the option of closing the 74th Street mail processing center in Fort Smith and consolidate the operations in Fayetteville. The station employs about 70. A decision on the consolidation could come as early as March.

The closures and possible consolidations stem from a review process which began in mid-2009 and examined approximately 3,300 stations and branches in urban and suburban areas across the country. The study focused on facilities in relative close proximity to one another to determine where consolidations might be feasible, while maintaining customer access to postal services.

It was announced last week that two postal facilities in Little Rock would be consolidated.

Newly appointed Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe announced Jan. 7 a restructuring plan that included a 16% reduction in “officer ranks,” the realignment of “revenue-generating” business units and closing a large regional office in Memphis.

Thomas Henry, the local postal 1211 union president, said the closing was made over the “strong objections” of the office workers and customers.

“We don’t understand why they are doing this. That office is making a profit,” Henry claimed. “We’ve also heard from the more elderly who living within walking distance of that station and this will be a hardship on them. … It disrupts service to that part of the city.”

Fort Smith Mayor Sandy Sanders is not happy about the decision.

“I think it’s very inappropriate. The wait lines at the 74th Street Station are already long, with people standing in lines 20 and up to 45 minutes,” Sanders said. “I think it’s ill-advised, ill-prepared and inappropriate.”

Henry said there is no formal appeal process.

“But like everything else, it’s a case of everybody who wants it to remain open, to write to the post office … and ask them to reverse that decision,” Henry said.