Stoneham post office spared from closure

STONEHAM — It appears that the Stoneham Post Office won't be closed after all, a spokesman for the postal service said last week.

In July, Stoneham was included on a list of 34 rural post offices in Maine that were being considered for closure, as a means for the federal program to save money.

Recently, however, four post offices were removed from the list, including Stoneham. The branch employs two people, one of whom is a carrier.

Spokesman Tom Rizzo said that the initial study list came from Washington, D.C.

"The list that was announced in July was provided by postal service headquarters in Washington," he said. He said that the closure of offices is an effort to "make the most efficient use of dwindling resources in the digital world."

Rizzo said that Stoneham was one of four post offices that have been found to be worth maintaining.

"We either would not have obtained the savings or we would not be able to provide that level of service that was suggested by the original study list," said Rizzo. "It really goes a long way toward showing how thorough and thoughtful this process is in evaluating objectively what we hope to do."

For each post office on the list, said Rizzo, local officials gather more detailed information to see whether the initial suggestion to close is justified.

"If the evidence demonstrates that we are not able to achieve those savings while maintaining a high level of service, we will pull back from the suggestion," he said.

The new determination was reviewed by a regional office in Connecticut and, ultimately, the D.C. headquarters before it became final.

The post office is considering closure of 3,700 branches across the country. Branches in North Waterford and Paris remain on the list, but Rizzo said that the process of evaluation is ongoing, and will continue into the new year.

"The users of these local post offices are notified of community meetings," said Rizzo, and can give input into the process.

Other post offices removed from the list include West Forks, Topsfield and the island community of Matinicus.

In all, the post office maintains about 420 retail offices in Maine, said Rizzo.