Issues. People. Events.

   State Representative Selim Noujaim (R-74) this week sent a letter to Senators Joseph Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Chris Murphy asking for their help in preserving Waterbury’s post office branches.

   The Federal Government has undertaken a study to consider shutting several post office branches, including the East End station on Manor Avenue and the full service branch located on Lakewood Road in Waterbury. The Lakewood Road branch also serves a portion of Wolcott and if these offices are closed the entire East End, East Mountain and North End sections of Waterbury will be left with no convenient access to a fully functioning post office, Rep. Noujaim said.

   “Waterbury is a neighborhood city and the people who choose to live here do so with the knowledge that they will know their neighbors personally,” Rep. Noujaim said.  “In fact, many of Waterbury’s senior or disabled citizens rely on the close proximity of stores and services to make their daily tasks easier to accomplish. The Manor Avenue branch, for example, serves elderly residents who walk from their homes to the post office.”

   Rep. Noujaim asked the Congressional Delegation to do everything in their power to support the continued operation of Waterbury’s Post Office branches, noting that a city the size of Waterbury would not be adequately serviced by only two locations, one of which has very limited parking.

   “Based on the concerns of my constituents, last year I wrote to the Postal Department leadership in Waterbury, Hartford and Washington D.C. complaining about the long lines in the Manor Avenue branch and asking for their help in alleviating the situation,” Rep. Noujaim said.  “Now it seems they would rather close the branches instead. It is already difficult for many of our seniors to get around, and standing in ever-longer lines or forcing them to travel across the city to access a post office is an unnecessary burden.”