Filing your Complaints about the P.O. Closure

Readers of The Riptonite have sent in valuable information regarding the closure of our Post Office.

First, here are links to the procedure for filing complaints about Post Office closures:

The Postal Regulatory Commission reviews complaints about the closing of Post Offices.

http://www.prc.gov/prc-pages/about/default.aspx

See for the Rules, pages 97-100 of this pdf document:

http://www.prc.gov/prc-docs/aboutprc/rules/RulesOfPractice.pdf

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Secondly, here is the address of the Postmaster General, followed by an excellent sample letter:

The Honorable Jack Potter
Postmaster General
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20260-0010

Dear Mr. Postmaster General:

The Ripton, Vermont Post office (05766) is suddenly closing, by
management fiat, without community input or review and in apparent
ignorance of Title 39, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 241.3. The
decision to close requires a 60 day comment period involving the
public. There is also a 30 day period of appeal. None of this
happened; the decision was taken in secrecy, and the only notice was a
handwritten poster outside the PO telling residents that the boxes
themselves would be removed by this coming weekend.

It's a new hardship for Riptonites, residents of a mountain community
including many elderly, who will now be forced to commute at least 3.3
miles, expending extra fuel and expense to retrieve mail that used to
come to us. The extra trips up and down the mountain will be even
more difficult and hazardous next Winter.

Please investigate this apparent breach of the law governing Postal
operations, and let the people of Ripton know the results.

Thank you very much,

[signed]

Robert Wagner
1049 Lincoln Road
Ripton, Vermont 05766