FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — In Fayetteville’s Haymount section, the post office has made up the core of the village since 1946. Now the Haymount Station, at 106 Oakridge Ave., is among more than 700 branches nationwide that could close or consolidate.
“It is the heart of the community,” resident Mary Alt said.
Denise Gainey said she would miss the post office if it closed.
“It’s like a community post office,” said Gainey, who has used the post office for many years. “It is smaller and more intimate. You can get service quicker here.”
Denise Goins is a home health care specialist who works for a woman who has used the post office since 1954. “They need this,” she said as she dropped off some mail on Tuesday. “These people have retired. They need this post office. It’s convenient. They can get to it.”
United States Postal Service spokeswoman Enola Rice said “people are using the post office less and less.” Rice said the postal service has seen 20 billion fewer pieces of mail this year. The USPS has also seen a $7 billion decrease in profits this year.
Declining customer use is also being considered when selecting which branches to close. Fayetteville has more than a dozen post offices. The Haymount Station is a mile from the main post office.
“We operate as a business,” Rice said.
Post offices placed on the list for closure are those located in cities where there are many other branches nearby, Rice said.
Rice said the 16 workers at the Haymount Station would be shifted to other sites, if it closes. “We have had no layoffs, and we’re not going to have layoffs,” she said.
In all, seven post offices in North Carolina are on the short list for possible closure. Rice said no decisions will be made until early October.
