After more than half a century in its Saugatuck Avenue location, the U.S. post office, housed in the familiar old red brick building, closed its doors Saturday, with post office box holders redirected to a trailer on 20 Saugatuck Avenue which will house their boxes. All other patrons are being told to get their postal needs attended to at a contracted postal unit at the Fast Stop located just near the trailer.
That is it for now, although Westport Postmaster Dennis Kossimis has said that a public meeting will be held at some point in the future to discuss possible alternatives. Many Westporters and post office regulars are looking forward to that meeting, although it remains unclear when it will be.
Public officials including Fourth District Congressman Jim Himes and First Selectman Gordon Joseloff expressed frustration and outrage at a weekend meeting just prior to the Sept. 5 closure. Himes said the closure did not make any sense and he had complained but had not received an adequate response from federal officials. He said the closures were part of a larger pattern in which post office officials were looking at their own internal efficiencies without considering the impact on customers.
Joseloff called the act a "stealth closure" and said it was clear that Westport was getting the short end of the stick. He said the landlord had not been given adequate notice or the opportunity to deal with a possible closure. "It is clear the feds can do what they want," said Joseloff.
Rick Girauod, the property manager of the building, which is owned by the Boccanfuso family, said he found out about the closure from a local news channel that covered the story when it first erupted.
"They never even asked for a rent reduction," said Girauod. "We desperately wanted to keep the post office here. This is 'old' Westport."
RTM member Judy Starr said "They went about it backwards. There was no opportunity for public input.