The financially beset Postal Service announced Tuesday that it will study the possibility of closing 3,653 offices to help reduce costs. Stations on the list of possible closures include three in Chattanooga, one in Cleveland, Tenn., and two in Murray County, Ga. Nothing is certain, but patrons of the listed sites have reason for concern.
The offices - in East Chattanooga, Highland Park and South Chattanooga, in downtown Cleveland and in Cisco and Tennga in Murray County - are targeted because they have low volumes of retail business or because officials believe closure would inconvenience few patrons. The latter assumes customers would use a nearby facility if their neighborhood office is closed. That's a questionable assumption.
It is true, for example, that the Highland Park station here is not very far from the downtown branch in the Federal Building on Georgia Avenue. That doesn't mean, though, that patrons of the former who now enjoy the convenience and available (free) parking will find the latter, where traffic is heavier and pay-parking is often scarce, a viable alternative.
Streamlining the Postal Service will be tough, but there's no easy alternative. The post office lost $8 billion last year and is on track to lose billions more this year. There's almost no hope of reversal.
The volume of profitable first class mail continues to fall as use of the Internet rises. Congress refuses to allow the public service, which does not receive taxpayer money, to charge mass mailers reasonable fees. Arcane rules that make the Postal Service the only government entity required to pre-pay future retiree benefits hamper the agency, too. Indeed, without the onerous pre-payment requirement, the post office would have shown a profit over the past four years.
The Postal Service has reduced staff and cut billions in costs in the last four years. Still, more belt-tightening is needed. Closing some post offices and moving services they provide to other venues - retail stores, for example - is one among many possibilities that should be considered.
Many consumers won't like that option. Many rightly consider the post office a personal and community necessity. Closure would bring changes that they find unacceptable. Their arguments have merit and deserve public discussion.
The Postal Service will provide that forum. Patrons of an office selected for possible closure have 60 days to file comments. If a site is selected for closing, patrons can file an appeal with the Postal Regulatory Commission, an independent agency. There's no guarantee, of course, what the outcome might be.
The Postal Service obviously has to change to survive, but it should do so in a manner that balances the public's concerns with the new economics of mail delivery. Given the vital roles post offices still play in many neighborhoods and communities, that's not too much to ask.