Exactly five (5) months after an official notice was sent to the Roselle Park Post Office (RPPO) notifying residents and customers of a discontinuance study which would potentially lead to its closing, an official notice was posted at the RPPO that a decision was reached to keep the post office open. The highlight of the four (4) paragraph notice was underlined and read:
We are pleased to announce our decision to continue operations at the Roselle Park Station.
Although the initial study notice was sent last November, a list of potential post office closings was sent out during the summer – Roselle Park was on that list. An anonymous resident started a petition to save the post office which received over 1,200 signatures. A rally was held in December to “Save Our Post Office” and this was followed five (5) days later by a public information meeting held by the United States Postal Service (USPS) on December 13, 2011 which was attended by over 100 residents with signs, banners, and questions. A business proposal offering a plan to keep the RPPO open was created (link) and even a website was established – RosellePark365.com (link) – to inform residents on the ongoing status of the USPS and the Roselle Park Post Office.
Then, almost every Saturday starting at the beginning of 2012, residents were given fliers and information packets by members of RosellePark365 who stood in front of the post office, asking them to contact USPS representatives and their congressional representatives in order to “Save Our Post Office”.
On March 21st, the 111 anniversary of Roselle Park’s existence, a small group of residents visited Washington, D.C. and met with U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez as well as U.S. Representative Leonard Lance to ask for their support and provide information regarding the Roselle Park Post Office. This was followed by a rally that was then held on March 24th.
Less than a month after that, the notice that many residents hoped for was received. The Roselle Park Post Office is to remain open.The anonymous person who started the petition, a Roselle Park senior citizen who asked to go by the initials T.M. said of the long journey to today, “We were never going to give up this fight because our post office is important. This is a good thing for Roselle Park!”
[Photo courtesy of Tanya Torres]