Norfolk post office closure would affect Berkley area

NORFOLK

The Norfolk Processing and Distribution Center on Church Street isn't the only local postal unit facing possible elimination. The U.S. Postal Service has also proposed closing the Berkley station on East Liberty Street.

The Berkley post office has suffered revenue declines, and its closure "will not adversely affect the community," according to a two-page summary from the postal agency. "There are a number of alternate sites within a short radius of the office." The South Norfolk station on Poindexter Street in Chesapeake is a mile away, it said.

Residents say, however, that the post office provides a vital community service.

"My seniors who ride in the church van are very concerned about it," said Shirley Cabarras, church clerk at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. "They have no other modes of transportation to go to another post office, and that one is convenient to them."

Michele Wright, president of the Norfolk local of the American Postal Workers Union, also questioned the idea.

"There are a lot of low-income, minority people who rely on that neighborhood office," Wright said.

Revenue at the post office declined to $119,097 in fiscal 2010 from $128,245 in fiscal 2007, the proposal said. Closing the office, it said, would save more than $1.3 million over the next decade. That would be accomplished by transferring the station's six employees to vacant positions elsewhere, said Michele Martel, a Postal Service spokeswoman in Richmond.

An official from the Postal Service will take questions from the public at 7 p.m. Jan. 11 at First Baptist Church, Berkley, at 706 Berkley Ave. Extension.

The postal agency, which is looking to close a $5 billion deficit, announced this month that no post office or distribution center would be closed before May 15. An "advisory opinion" last week from the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission found that the agency's plan to close thousands of post offices was flawed "because of lack of data and analysis."

The closings are subject to approval by Congress. Closing the Berkley station would not affect delivery to area residents, the Postal Service said.

The Berkley-Campostella neighborhood, sometimes called "southside Norfolk," is separated from the rest of the city by the Elizabeth River. To get to other sections of Norfolk, residents must use the Berkley or Campostella bridges.

The neighborhood borders the South Norfolk section of Chesapeake, but access to that city is often complicated by a line of railroad tracks, said Democratic state Del. Kenny Alexander, who represents Berkley.

Berkley-Campostella has often gone without amenities taken for granted in other neighborhoods. For three decades, Berkley lacked a major supermarket until Farm Fresh opened a store there in 2005.

The post office has been on Liberty Street since 1979, Martel said.

Alexander is a native of Berkley whose business, Metropolitan Funeral Service, also is based in the community. Like some local businesses, the funeral home uses one of the 225 post office boxes at the station, he said.

Many, Alexander said, would not want to switch to a box in Chesapeake. So if the Berkley station closed, "it would put those businesses at a disadvantage to go across the Berkley Bridge, which goes up several times a day," he said of the drawbridge.

Alexander noted the profusion of shipyards in the community. Closing the office also would inconvenience their employees, said Ayana Brown, a Berkley resident.

"We have a lot of people that work around there," Brown, 31, said. "I used to work at BAE shipyard. It was a huge convenience to go there at lunchtime when I needed it."

The station is small. It has two service windows, but only one is usually open. The service is excellent, Brown said.

"They are very accommodating to their customers," she said. "Anything you have to ask, they'll walk you through it. I've actually seen them help people fill out receipts for packages, for delivery confirmations.

"I'll be very sad if they have to leave."

Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com