Downtown Iowa City could lose postal branch

The United States Postal Service has proposed closing the downtown Iowa City postal branch at 121 E. Washington St. to help curb losses as its revenues dwindle.

A meeting will be held at from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. next Tuesday, April 26, at the substation to answer the public's questions about the proposal, said Richard Watkins, spokesman for the Mid-America division of the postal service. He said the substation's functions would be merged with the main Iowa City Post Office at 400 St. Clinton St.

“It's only about a quarter mile away from the main post office, so given our finances there's just no reason to have a branch that close,” Watkins said.

Watkins said he expects the meeting to yield objections from nearby businesses and others who use the substation. He said he expects the postal service to make a decision sometime in the next several weeks after the meeting.

If a decision is made to close the substation, objectors could potentially appeal to the Postal Regulatory Commission, Watkins said.

The postal service confirmed in January that it is looking at closing as many as 2,000 post offices on top of 491 that it said it would start closing at the end of 2010. In addition, the postal service was reviewing another 16,000 post offices operating at a deficit and lobbying Congress to close the most unprofitable. Current law doesn't allow the postal service to close offices because they are unprofitable, but does allow them to be closed for maintenance problems, lease expirations or other specific reasons.

Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek practices law in an office directly across from the substation. He said his own office uses the branch frequently, and it appears to get plenty of business.

Even though the main post office is less than three blocks away, “There's no denying it would be a loss of convenience,” the mayor said.

The city is still trying to learn more about the postal service's plans, Hayek said, and will send a economic development staff member to the meeting.

The Downtown Association of Iowa City sent out a e-mail to members encouraging them to attend the meeting and speak out in support of the substation. Nick Arnold, the association's executive director, said the substation is heavily used by University of Iowa students as well as downtown businesses.

While the main post office is close by, Arnold said it's a inconvenience for patrons because pedestrians would be crossing busy Burlington Street and parking issues would make driving the short distance a challenge.

University of Iowa spokesman Tom Moore indicated the UI would not be directly affected by the substation closing. He was doubtful that the UI would become involved in opposing the closing.

Watkins said the postal service would probably be looking under its present financial circumstances even if the substation were a mile away from the main post office.

First class mail volumes are down 20 percent over the last few years, Watkins said, and Postmaster General Patrick Donahue has directed the postal service field staff to look at cutting costs in areas “over which we have control.”

“We are unlike other government agencies in that we are not tax-supported,” Watkins said.

Some of the major cost-cutting measures the postal service is considering, most notably reducing regular mail delivery to five days per week, require Congressional action.