Officials, Community Rally in Support of Northport Post Office

The filled to bursting Wednesday as the community discussed how to prevent the United States Postal Service from closing the , built in 1932.

A panel of officials moderated the meeting including State Senator Carl Marcellino, State Assemblyman Andrew Raia, Town Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, Northport Mayor George Doll, Deputy Mayor Henry Tobin, Trustee Damon McMullen, Asharoken Mayor Greg Letica, and Deputy Mayor Pam Pierce.

"They tried to do the same thing with the Eatons Neck Coats Guard Station," said Marcellino, "saying it wasn't necessary anymore...well we proved that was nonsense with the overturning of the boat in Oyster Bay Harbor."

"The Village of Northport being the residential center it is and the business center it is, deserves to have a post office," said Mayor Doll.

Deputy Mayor Henry Tobin said he invited USPS regional officials active in overseeing the plan to come down and speak at the meeting. "They said it was too premature to do," he said, though they agreed to meet at a later date.

Tobin explained that a chain of events was set off by an Aug. 8 "Tiger Team" report signed off by the regional manager. First, the building will be put for appraisal to their real estate consulting firm. When they get that back they'll then assess whether or not they should offer the building formally for sale and whether they should look to rent office space to create a retail outlet, he said.

"Within the next few months, assuming those appraisals take place, the building will be put up for sale and they will lose space. When they accomplish both of those things the post office will be gone," he said. "Perhaps they'll put up a retail outlet somewhere else, perhaps on Main Street or elsewhere in the zip code, but nowhere near as convenient or as functionally a heart for us as at the current location."

Former Northport Deputy Mayor Arlene Handel asked if a moratorium could be put on the closing. She cited that Congressman Tim Bishop got a five month moratorium on the closing of the Setauket post office. Marcellino seconded the idea and said time was of the essence.

Nicholas Pitch, owner of Metro Cable on Main Street, offered to buy the building as a last resort. "I would buy the facility and keep the presence in the community. I'd make it easy for the government, not too steep of a rent or some kind of arrangement," he said.

Sherry Pavone, a Northport resident for 38 years, said, "The post office is not for sale," receiving a round of applause. "Not if we can stop it." She urged everyone to contact their congressional representatives and cited that Congressman Gary Ackerman saved the post office in the 1980s.

President of the Long Island Local American Postal Workers Union Peter Furgiuele commented on the Postal Services mandate to fund its pension 75 years in advance, which many say is an unreasonable strain.

"Every Oct. 1, the post office has to fork over anywhere between $5.5 and $7.5 billion for pension payments," he said, adding that the public must let postal officials know that they will not stand for it.

"Every place in America has a police dept, a fire dept, a hospital, a public library and a post office--don't let that change."

Assemblyman Raia, an East Northport resident, joked, "Quite honestly, I don't want you all in my post office," and vowed to rally the East Northport community to prevent the closure as well as US Congressman Steve Israel.

The Town of Huntington Board unanimously passed a resolution in support of the Northport Post Office at their last meeting. "We're here to lend whatever assistance we can, whether it's out town attorney's office or otherwise," said Councilman Cuthbertson.

Walter Barton, President of Long Island National ASsociation of Letter Carriers 6000 Union, which represents the carriers in Northport and East Northport said the problem was caused by Congress and only congress can fix it. He urged residents to sign a circulating petition to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Steve Isreal, and Senator Chuck Schumer.

"Go out door to door and get every one of your residents to sign that petition. There are probably 10,000 postal deliveries here," he said, "you should get 10,000 people to sign that petition."