Ben Franklin Post Office On USPS Closing List
Postal Service Trying To Right-Size Retail Network
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia's historic Ben Franklin post office is on the USPS chopping block as the postal service released a list of 3,700 offices that may be closed on Tuesday.
The list shows post offices that are now part of a "study " to see if they should remain open. Facilities would likely be saved if someone steps in to run the post office within another building not owned and operated by the post office.
The post office is at Franklin Square in Philadelphia's Independence Mall area and is adjacent to the U.S. Postal Service Museum. It is on the location of Ben Franklin's house and it is the only post office that doesn't fly a U.S. flag - because the area pre-dates the Revolution.
And in a double insult, Franklin's push to get the Post Office established as an entity was enacted on July 26, 1775, and the current museum and neighboring post office were unveiled on July 26, 1975.
So on July 26, 2011, the facility got word it will likely be shutdown unless a company takes over running the small post office.
In a press release, the USPS said it was "taking the next step in right-sizing our retail network by studying approximately 3,700 retail offices to determine customer needs. As part of this study, we are introducing a retail-replacement option –– Village Post Offices –– as an option for affected communities."
The Village Post Office option would "be operated by local businesses, such as pharmacies, grocery stores and other appropriate retailers, and would offer popular postal products and services such as stamps and flat-rate packaging," the USPS said.
However, the USPS said the Village Post Office option was for "communities currently without a postal retail office and for communities affected by these retail optimization efforts." It's unsure if the Ben Franklin post office meets those criteria.
The Free Franklin post office at 316 Market Street is a tourist attraction where you can get a postmark of "B. Free Franklin" to cancel stamps. It is also the only Colonial-themed post office operated by the USPS.
While the latest news could be dire for the Franklin post office, it could survive if there is enough of a public outcry.
In January, the USPS looked at closing 1,400 offices and 200 survived the review process so far.
Once an office is selected for a review, people served by that office will have 60 days to file their comments with the Postal Regulatory Commission. If an office is to be closed, they will be able to appeal to the independent Postal Regulatory Commission.