BY TEQUILA MINSKY | Mario Rivera, the super of a W. Ninth St. building, came to the mobile post office unit outside the Patchin Post Office on W. 10th St. on Monday to weigh and mail a letter. He waited an hour, from 2:20 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. for the mobile unit to open. But it never did.
While the lights were on inside the Patchin Post Office, a warped piece of paper posted inside the door’s window with a barely legible message read, “Closed until further notice.” The post office, at 70 W. 10th St., has been closed since Feb. 17, Presidents Day.
Meanwhile, 21 others came to the location for some sort of postal service. Admittedly, about five of them wanted to mail their letters directly at the post office because, as one of them said, they “don’t trust the mailboxes.”
But others came for things like stamps, a passport application or to weigh and mail packages. Some had walked over from as far away as MacDougal St. or Charles St. Two women didn’t live in the neighborhood, and upon reading the “other locations” notice, chose to walk up to the Old Chelsea Station P.O., at 217 W. 18th St., to take care of their postal needs.
The notice also mentions the Cooper Station P.O., at 93 Fourth Ave., and Port Authority P.O., at 76 Ninth Ave.
Oddly, the Village P.O., at 201 Varick St., which for those in the South Village is not far, was not listed.
Exasperation, bewilderment, confusion and annoyance were a few responses among the 22 in need of postal services who peered into the brightly lit post office and tried to open the door that didn’t budge.
“I come here every Monday for stamps,” said one man, gesticulating to the shuttered mobile unit. Another quipped that, on a previous day, a handwritten note attached to the vehicle notified the public that the unit was closed between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
“That’s the usual time for lunch, but it’s after 3 and no one is here.”
The unit is supposed to be open until 4 p.m.
One Village neighbor, letter in hand, also mentioned that the unit only takes cash and you can’t insure or certify a letter.
“Even the employees of First Republic Bank across the street use this branch and are complaining about the lack of service,” he groused.
After giving up and deciding to head to W. 18th St., Barbara Squeers, asked, “What are the services taxpayers are paying for? Do you know what a hardship this is for many people in this neighborhood?”
Connie Chirichello, a U.S. Postal Service spokesperson, told The Villager, “On Monday, the postal employee for the mobile unit, took an extended and later lunch hour for personal reasons,” which accounts for the unit’s being closed from about 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Chirichello reiterated that U.S.P.S. is waiting for the landlord to finish renovations to the building so that it can reopen the Patchin Station. She said the mobile unit’s services include stamps, mailing and certified and insured mail, but no money orders or credit card sales.
She assured The Villager that the signage at the W. 10th St. station would be improved, as would signs on the mobile unit for when it is “closed for lunch.” She thanked The Villager for drawing attention to these issues, which she said would be “immediately attended to.”
