Local post office staying open (4-6-11)

Local official says L.V. office is not on the chopping block

By KRIS REILLY, Editor

When word got out in January that the U.S. Postal Service would be closing thousands of small or rural post offices, many locals worried that Lucerne Valley would be on the list.

But those who rely on Lucerne’s Valley’s post office can breathe easy — at least for now. The Highland Avenue office will not be shut down in the foreseeable future.

Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association Chairman Chuck Bell asked the Officer in Charge of the local post office, Debra H. Ross, to speak at a LVEDA meeting about the possible effects of a closure.

With a large number of elderly residents on fixed incomes, Lucerne Valley would be hit hard by a post office closure. Many residents rely on the local office to receive checks and pay bills, and a closure would force them to drive into Apple Valley.

In an e-mail response which was forwarded to the LVEDA mailing list, Ross told Bell, “... I have inquired and I am told that Lucerne Valley is not one of the office(s) that will be closing. Please let everyone know. This is good news.”

According to a Wall Street Journal article in January, the USPS was set to begin closing as many as 2,000 post offices last month, and it was reviewing another 16,000 offices that are currently unprofitable.

Though the local post office will not be among those cut this spring, the future is still uncertain. The Wall Street Journal article states that the USPS is “lobbying Congress to allow it to change the law so it can close the most unprofitable (post offices).” The story also states that the postal service lost a record $8.5 billion in 2010.

If the losses continue and the laws are changed, more closures are possible. Read The Leader for updates on the situation as they become available.

Kris Reilly can be reached at kreilly@vvdailypress.com or at (760) 248-7878.