USPS saves post office

The U.S. Postal Service has removed the South Laguna Post Office from its possible closures list after determining that the station was earning enough revenue to cover the cost of operation and was highly valued by the community it served.

“We were delighted with the news,” said South Laguna Civic Assn. President Bill Rihn.

Rihn and other South Laguna residents circulated petitions in support of keeping the station open, met with post office officials and enlisted City Council assistance in their efforts, which influenced the district’s decision.

Rihn credited South Laguna resident Tom Osborne, who is out of town and unavailable for comment, for organizing the protest against the closure.

“It was originally on a list of offices possibly going to be considered for consolidation,” said postal service spokesman Richard Maher. “When it first hit the news, there were 20 on the list. As we moved along in the process, it was narrowed down to two, and we did studies on those two.”

The in-depth study reviewed use, and expenses such as rent and utilities.

“Although there was a significant downward trend in revenue, the office was still covering its costs, and the district did not recommend consolidation,” Maher said.

One criterion for what the post office calls consolidation is the proximity of offices.

The La Playa Station on Forest Avenue and the South Laguna office are close in miles, but heavy demands on parking downtown, particularly in the summer and on weekends, play into the equation.

Mayor Pro Tem Toni Iseman said in December, when South Laguna residents appealed for assistance in keeping their post office open, that it wasn’t just South Laguna’s problem.

“The [postal service] needs to consider the entire picture and be aware of the importance of the South Laguna Post Office to the entire community,” Iseman said.

Councilwoman Jane Egly seconded Iseman.

“If they [South Lagunans] all come downtown, it will be overwhelmed,” Egly said.

However, the reprieve is not etched in stone, Maher said.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the future holds,” he said. “Because of the recession, the postal service is having financial problems.”

Former customers are using alternate methods of communication. Customers no longer need to go to a post office to get stamps, which are sold in supermarkets, and other services are available online, Maher said.

And the service must look at the bottom line, which translates to more customers actually using the South Laguna station.

One incentive: The South Laguna branch has what the La Playa station doesn’t — parking.