Postal officials reviewing small offices
may seek to close local branch to reduce costs
By:Beth Kressel
When Hurricane Floyd hit Sept. 19, 1999, the Flagtown Post Office became information central.
Ronald Frey, postmaster there, can’t recall a time when the tiny branch, which barely fits six customers and their bulky packages, hosted that many people at once.
"During the course of the day, people were coming in a panic saying that Amwell Road was closed and how were they going to get home," said Mr. Frey. "I told people they can go to the Hillsborough Township clerk’s office. The town was putting cots there for the night."
Mr. Frey says that by 5:30 p.m. the day the storm hit, he was probably the only business open. And dozens of people flocked to his office.
Now the U.S. Postal Service Commission report, released July 31, recommends that small post offices should be closed as a cost-saving measure. Stamps and other mail services could be provided by businesses such as supermarkets and grocery stores, and by bigger post offices. Smaller branches that provide limited service would be unnecessary, the commission states.
And though it could take years if and when any action is taken by the national government, people around Flagtown are starting to worry.
"There’s rumors that the government is going to consolidate its post offices," said Robert Guerrera, who owns the Citgo gas station next door, and whose family owns the entire strip mall that includes the post office and a deli. "That would be hell. We would lose a lot of our local identity. People come here to get community news. Every time there’s a town meeting, it’s posted here."
At the Flagtown Post Office people meet neighbors and chat with the postmaster as town residents have done since the post office opened at the railroad station in 1911. Making small-town talk at the post office is as regular for Flagtowners as the "you’ve got mail" notice in their e-mail in-boxes.
"Three quarters of our customers prefer it this way," said Mr. Frey as he stuffed the 364 post office boxes with their respective mail one day in August. "It’s the way it’s always been since they were kids."
The Flagtown Post Office in its modern form was created by Catherine Guerrera, 92, Mr. Guerrera’s aunt.
In 1943, the post office needed a new postmaster and no one wanted the position because the pay was poor. The paymaster earned a commission on stamps sold.
Miss Guerrera was working at a Bound Brook clothing store and making $15 an hour good money for the times. But her father felt the career move to Flagtown postmaster was a smart one for his daughter.
"My father said in Europe, being postmaster was a big deal," said Miss Guerrera who immigrated to the U.S. from Italy with her family in 1920. "He said, ‘Take it, take it, take it’ and I’m glad that I listened."
Newcomers to Flagtown appreciate the post office for the same qualities remembered by Ms. Guerrera who recounts that customers would come in, talk and "have a lot of fun."
"I like to come here to see neighbors. It’s personal and you get to know Ron and Terry," said Denise Wall, who moved here from Old Bridge six years ago. Terry Chang is the only other employee besides Mr. Frey.
For Mr. Guerrera, the post office consolidation is part of a national trend. He looks at the Citgo logo outside his gas station to illustrate his point.
"The post office may go down, too. It’s a sign of the times. Each mega-business is taking away the character of small communities," he said. "Citgo is one of the few companies that likes little stations. It’s one of the last bastions of small gas stations."
Mr. Frey stressed that the possible post office closure is just a rumor circulating around town. People read an Associated Press article on report and started worrying. Still, he’s not surprised by the recommendations.
"It didn’t surprise me," he said in an interview at the end of July before the commission’s final report was released. "It’s a business and just like any business, they’re looking to cut costs."