Akron's post office to remain open, Sewell says
The reversal followed Sewell’s letter to postal leaders after the facility closed abruptly weeks before the midterm elections.
The U.S. Postal Service has reversed its decision to close the post office in the Hale County town of Akron and will reopen the facility and renew its lease for five years, according to U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, D-Alabama.
Sewell said in a news release Friday that she was “thrilled” by the Postal Service’s decision.
“Our communities deserve access to the essential services they rely on,” Sewell said. “I was proud to stand with the people of Akron to make our voices heard.”
Sewell said the facility abruptly closed October 14, 17 days before the previously announced October 31 closure date, when the Postal Service planned to let the facility’s lease expire. The following Friday, Sewell’s office sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner and Postal Service leaders demanding that they immediately reopen the facility.
The unexpected closure and its proximity to the November 3 midterm elections prompted Sewell’s office to request documentation showing whether postal officials had complied with federal requirements governing the suspension or discontinuance of postal services, according to Friday’s statement.
Negotiations over the facility’s lease resumed Thursday, Sewell said.
“This victory is a testament to what we can accomplish when we listen to our communities and stand up for the people we represent,” Sewell said. “Akron residents deserve to have their voices heard. They deserve access to their mail, and they deserve a postal service that treats their community with dignity and respect.”
The Akron Post Office will resume operations once workers return and install the necessary postal equipment and infrastructure, according to Sewell’s office. The mobile post office at the site remains open.
