Washington, DC - Two post office stations in the 15th Congressional District have been taken off the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) list for potential closure.  The two stations are located at 1210 S. University in Ann Arbor, and 4500 Maple, in Dearborn. Congressman John Dingell (MI15) has been vocal in his opposition of the stations’ closure, arguing that both communities rely on these stations for essential services.

Congressman Dingell expressed his appreciation of the USPS upon hearing the news. “I know how hard our Detroit USPS Branch has been working to see to it that they help their ailing employer while retaining consumer access to postal services,” said Dingell. “Their efforts have produced the right conclusions – that it does not make sense to close the South U and Maple stations and doing so would adversely affect the communities in which they are located,” said Dingell.

“The South U station in Ann Arbor sits in the heart of the University of Michigan campus and is an integral part of the Ann Arbor community.  My constituents in Ann Arbor –   be they students, residents, or local business owners – are heavy users of this station.  Students use it between classes.  Local business use it for whatever postal needs they have, and also have benefited from the foot traffic this station produces, as post office customers eat and shop in surrounding businesses.  Further, Ann Arbor is a green city; people don’t want to use their cars when they don’t have to.  Residents enjoy the convenience of walking to the South U facility.  They would likely not have driven to other post office stations, but rather switched to a different carrier.  I wanted to prevent that from happening,” said Dingell.

Maple station in East Dearborn is located within the City Hall campus and is the only retail postal facility in East Dearborn. Said Dingell, “Closing the Maple Station would inconvenience our civil servants, as well as Dearborn’s sizable senior citizen population.  Further, East Dearborn is growing not only in population but in the business and residential sectors.  I felt it was very important that we look at the big picture, including East Dearborn’s future growth potential in the decision to close this station.”

 Congressman Dingell has worked closely with the Postal Service to educate them of his and his constituents’ opposition to the closures since he was asked for comment in July.  He also worked with Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly and Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje, local elected officials, and many members of both communities to produce valuable and factually correct information to the Postal Service.  

 “I want to thank all of my constituents who spoke out against and worked with me on the potential closures of these stations.  It’s clear we could not have done this without community involvement.  The USPS plays a special role in communities throughout the country, sometimes serving as the only link between the local citizenry and the Federal Government.  I could not be more pleased that they will remain an active presence in Ann Arbor and Dearborn.”

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