Bronx post offices may close (UPDATE)

The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday they will be studying 17 Bronx post offices to determine if they should be closed. The USPS will be conducting a study of the Bronx offices to determine customer needs.

“Our customer’s habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business,” Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said.

The Bronx offices are: Botanical, Castle Hill, Clason Point, Cranford, Dreiser Loop, Einstein, Esplanade, Fieldston, Hillside, Hunts Point, Melcourt, Morrisania, Spuyten Duyvil, Stadium, University Heights, Van Cott and West Farms. In Westchester, Yonkers South and Sandford Sta in Mount Vernon will be studied.

Some of these branches have been looked at before, but a USPS spokesperson said it is an ongoing campaign to better utilize a shrinking amount of resources.

UPDATE: It's come to my attention that the Bronx's 17 potential post office closures is by far the largest amount of potential closures in the city. Here's the whole list. Manhattan has six, Brooklyn and Queens five, and Staten Island with just one.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. has responded with a statement:

“I am extremely concerned that 17 postal locations in the Bronx are being studied for potential closure. The Bronx cannot afford such a considerable loss of both jobs and commercial activity, and the federal government must seriously reconsider enacting any post office closure plan that would have a serious negative impact on Bronx communities. My office will continue to follow this process to ensure that the collective voice of our borough is heard on this important matter."

For more information, check the upcoming issue of the Bronx Press & Riverdale Review.