German Village postal branch on Whittier Street won’t reopen.
The U.S. Postal Service has decided not to reopen its German Village branch at 500 E. Whitter St. and is considering moving the retail operation to a postal facility at 1612 Lockbourne Rd. on the South Side.
The Whittier Street location has been closed since May 2019, when inspectors deemed the building unsafe. Part of a ceiling had collapsed. Operations were moved to a branch at 445 E. Innis Ave., which will remain open for now.
A Postal Service spokesman in Greensboro, N.C., said the agency has to move because the Whittier property owner would not fix several problems.
“The whole ceiling was in shambles and falling down,” he said this week.
The Postal Service had leased the Whittier Street building from owner TRS 500 LLC, of Columbus. The company has been connected to Tri-State Renovations, 895 S. High St. The lease has expired.
The Dispatch left a message with Tri-State on Friday seeking comment.
Brenda Gischel, who leads the Schumacher Place Civic Association, said people in the neighborhood are upset.
“It makes no sense,” said Gischel, who said the civic association wrote letters to the Postal Service.
She said the neighborhood has already lost its Giant Eagle supermarket, and now its postal branch for good.
“How much can you take from a neighborhood? We aren’t happy,” she said.
Chris Hune, president of the German Village Society, said she was unaware of the Postal Service’s decision.
Jim Griffin, who leads the Columbus South Side Area Commission, said the Innis Avenue station is closer for many residents, but acknowledged that Merion Village, German Village and Schumacher Place residents are likely to be unhappy.
The Rev. John Edgar, executive director of the nonprofit Community Development for All People on Parsons Avenue, close to the Whittier Street site, said it seemed clear for some time the Whittier branch wasn’t going to reopen. He called the decision disappointing.
“It has been a challenge at times for businesses to do certain types of functions to get stamps or send something. It’s really been an inconvenience,” Edgar said.
Post offices are an important quality of life for any neighborhood, he said, and part of a vital community. “We view it as a step in the wrong direction,” he said of the closing.
Those who wish to comment can send their thoughts in the next 30 days to:
ATTN.: Columbus Ohio German Village Station
United States Postal Service
P.O. Box 27497
Greensboro, NC 27498-1103
@MarkFerenchik
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