Postal Service Seeks Maplewood Input

In a letter mailed to Maplewood residents last week, St. Louis-area postal manager Russell Thouvenot outlined how the could close its doors.

The U.S. Postal Service is considering the closure of the Maplewood branch and four other nearby locations. The Maplewood location is under review because of "declining office workload and the availability of alternate sites nearby," the letter notes.

The letter also outlines how customer needs have changed in the digital age. Residents can pay their bills online and communicate with others through emails and text messages, the letter notes.

Thouvenot also sought input from residents in the letter. A survey to determine the usage of the Maplewood branch was attached, and it included more than 30 questions. Questions focused on frequency of visits to the Maplewood branch and the nature of the visits.

The survey results will be considered before any action is taken, Thouvenot stated. 

Concerned residents may attend a community meeting that has been scheduled for next Tuesday between 3-5 p.m. at the . Postal workers will be at the meeting to answer questions, Thouvenot stated.

At the end of August, Maplewood city officials to save the branch. The postcards, which gave room for residents to draft their concerns about the possible closure, will be presented at the community meeting, said City Manager Marty Corcoran in a previous article.

Maplewood City Council also , D-St. Louis, asking for the branch to remain open.

But the Maplewood branch isn't the only location that may be closed.

On Monday, the New York Times reported that the U.S. Postal Service could default on its payments. Emergency action from the U.S. Congress is required to save the postal service, the article notes.

Inaction could lead to the closure of all branches later this year, said U.S. Senator Thomas R. Carper, D-Delaware, in the article. Carper chairs the subcommittee that oversees the postal service.