Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

Activist John Bond has circulated an appeal to save the Ewa Village Post Office. There is a petition available to sign and also a meeting this Friday.

I don’t think the announcement below describes how to add your signature to the petition. I’ll amend this article if that information comes in.

I’m posting the emailed notice for those who might want to take action with regard to the post office, because the meeting is only two days away...

Closing Ewa Village Post Office Does Not Make Any Sense At All

Aloha,

Add your signature to the petition of over 500 names, Call your representatives, send a letter, email asking that the Ewa Village Post Office NOT be shut down!

Visit the Ewa Village Post Office on Friday, Sept. 20, between 12 and 2 PM when a USPS representative will be standing by to take any public opinion comments, written or verbal. You can also call Janice Shimizu, USPS at 423-3958 if that is more convenient.

HERE'S WHY IT SHOULD NOT BE SHUT DOWN:

Ewa Village Post Office is at the center of one of the fastest growing communities in West Oahu according to the last census. Even Ewa Village has been adding more homes recently and many more are planned nearby. This is by no means a "dying community" even though a large elderly population lives in the village and is very grateful that this type of very friendly island village post office still exists.

The closure letter states that the building is "not listed as an historic landmark"- but in fact it is now over 50 years old and National Register eligible. The historic plantation era building was built in 1958 and was given to the City when the plantation closed. This is one of the least expensive Oahu post office's to run as far as space rent is concerned.

The postal letter informing about the possible Ewa Village P.O. admits that the historic cinder block building has "no known structural defects, safety hazards or security issues."

Just last year the entire parking lot was resurfaced, a new wheelchair ramp was added with a lower service window and lower box access for the disabled as part of a Federal "shovel ready" funding source. WHY would these ideal handicap, user friendly new Federal tax paid alterations now be wasted?

Franciscan Vistas Ewa, a "healthy independent living community" was recently added, as well as more nearby homes being built or planned for construction within the local village.

There is ample parking for even very busy days like Christmas season and even more, rarely used, parking is in the back of the building. If ever needed the building lot even has more space to add additional parking in the back. This is actually one of the best post offices, but least known, in all of West Oahu.

People who do know about Ewa Village Post Office come from considerable distance just because it is one of the very last friendly, classic village post offices found on Oahu.

One of the rationale for closing is that the post office has experienced "declining revenue and/or volume." This is clearly because the Ewa Village P.O. hours were cut BACK to just 12-2 PM! This is an extremely short time window and very inconvenient for working people. These
ridiculous hours are no doubt the number one reason for decline in revenue! Any place of business in a busy location would have such a decline in revenue if they were only open just M-F for two hours a day!

The Ewa Credit Union says that people regularly stop in their adjacent office asking about postal services when the P.O. window isn't open.

There is a huge market for the Ewa Village P.O. if most people in the Ewa Gentry community even KNEW it existed- or if window hours actually allowed working people, especially the large DoD-military community, to stop in after work. The Ewa Village P.O. is also closed on Saturday when it would likely be one of it's best periods to be open to serve the huge nearby commuter community of Ewa Gentry!

The post office closure rationale is that alternatives like Waipahu or Kapolei P.O. exist... For the many elderly this is not a simple or easy thing to do. Those post offices are often very crowded with long lines. Not everyone wants to jump into a car and drive through considerable traffic to get to one of these other "nearby and convenient" post offices in Waipahu or Kapolei miles away.

Ewa Beach P.O. also exists... That post office is often very crowded with long lines and Fort Weaver can often be a nightmare of heavy traffic. If Ewa Village P.O. had logical hours for most working people it would be an extremely busy post office too. Anyone who has spent time in this Ewa area knows that closing this great little post office makes no sense at all!

John Bond
Ewa, Oahu

Permalink posted by Larry @ 9/18/2013 05:43:00 PM