USPS Urged To Expedite

Hawleyville PO Relocation

By Nancy K. Crevier

At the March 5 public forum hosted by the United States Postal Service to clarify the process for relocating or renovating the Hawleyville Post Office, temporarily closed as of February 14, New England Real Estate Specialist for the USPS, William Moncrief, noted that it could be beneficial to expediting the process if the USPS were to hear from Newtown’s selectman.

Joe Borst responded swiftly, sending out a letter to Mr Moncrief on March 9 reiterating his request voiced at the public forum that the scope of the USPS property search for a new Hawleyville Post Office be changed from a “one mile circle” to “in the vicinity of the Hawleyville Post Office,” which was located on Route 25, north of Exit 9.

He also restated his position that a building being erected at 23 Barnabas Road “would be an ideal location since the builder has been working with the postal service to meet their design specifications.”

In closing, Mr Borst encouraged the USPS to contact him to speed the project to a successful conclusion.

Several residents present at the March 5 public forum expressed a frustration with the postal service’s need to pursue the usual process undertaken when a new post office is built. It would not be unusual, according to Mr Moncrief’s statements that night, for that process to take as much as a year or more. In early February, however, postal service district manager for Connecticut Edward F. Phelan, Jr, stated in a press release that it was the plan of the USPS to expedite the Hawleyville Post Office relocation and have the new facility open by late summer 2009.

Tower Realty, broker for the 23 Barnabas property being built by local contractor Steve Nicolosi, has said repeatedly that they have been in ongoing negotiations with the USPS and have made several accommodations to the property to meet USPS specifications. According to Mick Consalvos of Tower Realty, the property will be ready for occupancy by early summer.

“I’m unaware of any other properties in the Hawleyville area that meet the USPS requirements and could be occupied by the end of summer,” said Mr Borst. “The only one I’ve heard about is Dr Evans’s old office on Mt Pleasant across from Hot Shots, and that’s strictly a rumor.”

Residents at the March 5 forum appeared dissatisfied that the USPS was not taking advantage of what many said seemed an obvious choice to relocate the post office in a timely fashion.

For historic reasons as well as reasons of convenience to those who have been serviced for 165 years at the Hawleyville Post Office on Route 25, Mr Borst believes it is essential to the community for this branch to reopen as quickly as possible.

“We seem to be losing some of the reasons we all move to Newtown,” said Mr Borst. “I was upset when we lost our Sandy Hook Post Office. You get used to the personnel, and it’s like ‘home.’ I hate to see us lose that comfort feeling that we have living here in Newtown.”

As of March 23, Mr Borst said he had not received a response to his letter of March 9. Presently, however, Mr Borst said that his attention must be focused on the budget and resolving the town’s issue with the military base proposal for Fairfield Hills. If he has not heard from the USPS by then, said Mr Borst, he will follow up with a more strongly worded letter emphasizing the need to swiftly move on the process of relocating Hawleyville Post Office.