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Monday, June 30, 2008
A Letter from our Congressional Reps
Click here for a higher resolution image [385 kb jpeg].
Or click here for a copy of the doc as a pdf [350 kb pdf].
![Click here for a higher resolution image [385 kb jpeg].](http://www.wcolwell.com/ripton/RiptonCPO1-hi-res.jpg){kind=link}
Talking with the office of Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders, one of Vermont's United States Senators, is proving to be an ally to our community. According to one of his staff,
- They consider the postal crisis to be a serious problem, and sympathize with our complaints
- They like our petition and our actions so far
- One staff member is now working on this full-time
- Sanders is working with USPS right now
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
*********
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
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
*********
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
Sunday, June 29, 2008
P.O. - A Request from Sally
I will be faxing our petition to the office of Cheryl Hey in NH at 8:00am Monday morning, June 30 (tomorrow) so that she will have it prior to the 10:00am meeting. She's expecting it. If you know of anyone who hasn't seen the petition, who is not getting these emails, please help them if you can by bringing a page to them. I will leave many copies at both the store and town office.
I'm thinking that I could also fax letters from individual residents stating why you believe that Ripton needs to maintain it's Post Office. I suggest keeping these letters short, simple, and professional; a couple of sentences to a half page at most. Folks who have businesses in Ripton should especially be heard from. Use letterhead if you have it. I believe that the impact of numbers of signatures on the petition and brief individual statements will be effective and impossible to ignore as these postal authorities sit down to talk about our situation. Details can some later. I will leave an envelope at the store (open 8:00-6:00 today) and outside the town office (available 24 hours) for your letters. Deadline: Monday morning, 7:50 a.m.
While I'm at it, I will also fax the petition and letters to the offices of Welch, Leahy, and Sanders. Anyone else? If some of you can help me round up fax numbers, I'll send them anywhere they need to go!
-Sally
I'm thinking that I could also fax letters from individual residents stating why you believe that Ripton needs to maintain it's Post Office. I suggest keeping these letters short, simple, and professional; a couple of sentences to a half page at most. Folks who have businesses in Ripton should especially be heard from. Use letterhead if you have it. I believe that the impact of numbers of signatures on the petition and brief individual statements will be effective and impossible to ignore as these postal authorities sit down to talk about our situation. Details can some later. I will leave an envelope at the store (open 8:00-6:00 today) and outside the town office (available 24 hours) for your letters. Deadline: Monday morning, 7:50 a.m.
While I'm at it, I will also fax the petition and letters to the offices of Welch, Leahy, and Sanders. Anyone else? If some of you can help me round up fax numbers, I'll send them anywhere they need to go!
-Sally
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Post Office protests on June 28th
Today was the last day of the Ripton Post Office, and the first day of our community protest against its closure.
We gathered at the General Store, as per email and blog planning. We picked up our mail for the last time, bought coffee and snacks from Sue and Dick, listened to Bonnie finish her final sorting, and shared information about the latest developments.
Things were still unclear. When would the boxes be hauled down the mountain? Was this whole mess supposed to still be temporary? Could we volunteer to staff the Ripton office? We heard that some folks only learned last night that their box, their community post office was to be closed. Par for the course of this affair, as the USPS communicates poorly to us.
Learning that Bonnie was to drive the key to our office down the mountain, rather than an East Middlebury office come up to us, we drove down route 125 together, a sprawling caravan. We arrived at the East Middlebury Post Office during the last half-hour its lobby was scheduled to be open, and... tried to check our mail. And stood around, smiling at the somewhat terrified, somewhat confused locals.
Why were the locals confused? Because this move, this drastic increase in the amount of work their post office was to do was news to them. Did I mention bad postal service communication?
At 11:30 the East Middlebury office closed up for the weekend, as per schedule, and we headed back up the mountain.
What next? Apparently various postal officials are meeting on Monday. Definitely the community is meeting on Tuesday. Our boxes will be moved... Monday? It's unclear. Also on Monday, we're to start getting our mail down the mountain. So we'll begin our daily caravan rides, burning a lot of carbon, paying more for gas, adding to the East Middlebury's office's work, and missing that one point of Ripton community we used to hold.
Bravo to everyone from Ripton who participated in today's event.
More images, stories, and conversation coming in this spot.
(last photo by Joanna Shipley; previous three by Bryan Alexander)
We gathered at the General Store, as per email and blog planning. We picked up our mail for the last time, bought coffee and snacks from Sue and Dick, listened to Bonnie finish her final sorting, and shared information about the latest developments.
Things were still unclear. When would the boxes be hauled down the mountain? Was this whole mess supposed to still be temporary? Could we volunteer to staff the Ripton office? We heard that some folks only learned last night that their box, their community post office was to be closed. Par for the course of this affair, as the USPS communicates poorly to us.
Learning that Bonnie was to drive the key to our office down the mountain, rather than an East Middlebury office come up to us, we drove down route 125 together, a sprawling caravan. We arrived at the East Middlebury Post Office during the last half-hour its lobby was scheduled to be open, and... tried to check our mail. And stood around, smiling at the somewhat terrified, somewhat confused locals.
Why were the locals confused? Because this move, this drastic increase in the amount of work their post office was to do was news to them. Did I mention bad postal service communication?
At 11:30 the East Middlebury office closed up for the weekend, as per schedule, and we headed back up the mountain.
What next? Apparently various postal officials are meeting on Monday. Definitely the community is meeting on Tuesday. Our boxes will be moved... Monday? It's unclear. Also on Monday, we're to start getting our mail down the mountain. So we'll begin our daily caravan rides, burning a lot of carbon, paying more for gas, adding to the East Middlebury's office's work, and missing that one point of Ripton community we used to hold.
Bravo to everyone from Ripton who participated in today's event.
More images, stories, and conversation coming in this spot.
(last photo by Joanna Shipley; previous three by Bryan Alexander)
Well met in East Middlebury
Our gathering met at the Ripton General Store, then moved down to East Middlebury's Post Office.
More comments and images as they come in.
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