Postal Service vows to fix Red Bank site

[Guest guest]

Postal Service vows to fix Red Bank site

Official: Could reopen in spring

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20051214/NEWS01/512140397/1004/NEWS01

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 12/14/05

BY LARRY HIGGS

COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU

Asbury Park,NJ

RED BANK — Postal Service officials said they are committed to

repairing and reopening the Westboro postal station on Shrewsbury

Avenue, which closed because of a mold problem caused by a roof leak.

" It's our intent to go back in there, " said spokesman

Flood. " My understanding is the landlord will address the issues. "

Westboro could reopen next spring, which is a conservative estimate

by postal officials, Flood said. A contractor for the landlord is

scheduled to be in the building Tuesday, he said.

The postal station was closed in late November because of a mold and

mildew problem caused by water coming inside from a front roof

overhang, Flood said.

" When it rained, it would come in the building and (workers) had to

put buckets out to catch the water, " Flood said. " That was creating

the issue. "

A post office environmental inspector confirmed the problem after it

was brought to the attention of officials by an employee, he said.

How much roofing work needs to be done and the winter weather will

be the deciding factors in when Westboro can reopen, Flood said.

Additional staff has been added to the main post office on Broad

Street, and portable post office boxes are scheduled to be installed

in the lobby to accommodate displaced Westboro post office box

holders, he said.

Despite some crowding on Tuesday at the Broad Street post office,

postal workers opened additional windows when customers started

lining up.

While McMorrow of Red Bank lives on the east side and rarely

uses the Westboro postal station, he said he hasn't seen lines get

too long in the main post office.

" They give good service, " McMorrow said. " The guys are friendly and

helpful. "

A proposal discussed with Mayor McKenna Jr. to locate a

mobile post office at the Shrewsbury Avenue site was ruled out

because of safety issues on the busy road, Flood said.

While long-term plans called for replacement of the Westboro postal

station with a new facility, those plans are on hold while the

postal service rebuilds 37 post offices in the Golf Coast region

that were destroyed by hurricanes this year.

" The funding is going there, " Flood said.

Larry Higgs: (732) 643-4277 or lhiggs@...