As the United States Postal Service continues looking at the viability of post offices throughout the country, Schenectady County lawmakers are battling to keep a branch of the post office open in Scotia.
At the Tuesday, Aug. 11, meeting of the Schenectady County Legislature, lawmakers unanimously approved drafting a resolution asking the USPS to spare the Scotia branch.
Scotia is a very unique community, and it’s a community that is very walk able and pedestrian-friendly and within the main street of Scotia, said Susan Savage, chairwoman of the Schenectady County Legislature, D-Niskayuna. `Essentially services are provided for the people who live there.`
Savage said that businesses and services provided along Mohawk Avenue include a branch of the Schenectady County Library, numerous restaurants, shops, and, of course, the post office.
`At a time when we are trying to find ways to conserve energy and to be more efficient, the Scotia post office plays an integral role in the life of the community,` said Savage.
She said she hopes the resolution encourages USPS to take a look at the Scotia community and help them realize that `closing this post office would disadvantage the people who live there,` said Savage.
The legislature plans to send a copy of the resolution to congressmen and senators to gather support.
`I hope that they’ll look at each community and recognize there are far more advantages to keeping it open rather than closing it,` said Savage.
Schenectady County Legislator Martin Finn, D-Niskayuna, said that he grew up in Scotia and thinks that having a post office in the village is important in the `close-knit community.`
`This kind of thing is important to get involved in early,` said Finn. `The concept was you have to get involved in it quickly before you let those people make those decisions.`
Schenectady County Legislator Jim Buhrmaster, R-Scotia, who also owns a business in Scotia, described the village as a city, mainly because of the foot traffic.
`So many of our people walk there, and I can speak from personal experience: I go in there six mornings a week, Monday through Saturday, and there are people in front of me and in back of me who have walked there,` said Buhrmaster.
If the Scotia post office closes, the closest branches, in Glenville and Schenectady, are too far away for those who don’t drive to access them.
`It’s very necessary, it’s a fabric of our community, and I don’t think that we in the community would have an opposition to even a change of location,` said Buhrmaster who said that regardless of what happens, the village needs a post office that people can walk to.
He said came up with some recommendations on ways to keep the post office in Scotia, including moving to a smaller building that is less expensive. Besides the residents who use the post office on a regular basis, he said there are at least a half dozen other businesses that rely on post office boxes for their mail.
`There are loads of people that are in business like myself ` we have a box, and we get so much mail that one box won’t hold it so then they have to hold it behind the counter,` said Buhrmaster.
`I leave there every day with a big mail tub for our company. If that had to leave with a mail carrier, it would fill up their bag every day,` said Buhrmaster.
He said that the Scotia community understands that changes have been made to the post office and they’re willing to listen and comply, but they don’t want to lose the facility.
`All 15 members [of the legislature] are unanimous in saying that they ought to find a way to keep it open and if there has to be a move to make it more economical and not keep that big old huge building, then find another building,` said Buhrmaster.
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