VALLEY STATION POST OFFICE

As many of you are aware the Valley Station Post office is slated to close. The reason, as I am being told by insiders, is that the owners of the property are raising the lease payments to a price the Post Office will not agree to. Fair enough I suppose but what happens to those who use that Post Office daily?

A few years ago a new Post Office was built on Greenwood Rd in PRP and while I personally enjoy the convenience of it ( I live less than a block away from it) I questioned at that time whether it was cost effective. The branch on Greenwood Rd does do some business but when I compare it to the one in Valley Station there essentially is no comparison.

The Post Office in Valley Station stays busy period. I have never been in there when I did not have a line to deal with. While some would argue that the service is slow there and perhaps that is why, I would argue the opposite.

The need is there and THAT is why they have lines.

The property, based on my preliminary checks, is owned by Nicklies Company a local developer who specializes in retail space. Is this perhaps a chance to grab at better profits? We have a down economy and the government is printing money like it is going out of style throwing around bailouts and buyouts. Perhaps that is the logic behind raising the rates to the government. I mean when you see free money you try to get it right? Who knows. Nicklies is doing fine from that standpoint so what gives.

This directly from their website: "Being known for its commitment to quality, knowledge, and high standards, Nicklies continues to excel in the development industry. Nicklies also develops and redevelops land for residential use - including single-family, attached, and detached cluster homes - to meet the needs of property owners, builders and homeowners."

Perhaps they just forgot that one of the most basic things you can do for homeowners to meet their needs is ensure services are provided in the neighborhood that help fulfill that need. In this case the Post Office in Valley Station does just that.

So being the guy I am I decided to call around and see if there is suitable property in the area at an affordable cost that could be used by the Post Office for the neighborhoods.

One of my calls was to Chris Thieneman. As many of you are aware I have worked with Chris on some projects and though we stand apart politically we both ignore that reality and work in a nonpartisan way together for the betterment of our neighbors.

While speaking with Chris about the recent announcements I found out Chris was a step ahead of me. Nothing new there either.

Chris has already offered up 10,000 sq. ft. of space to the Post Office and thrown in a full first year of no payments. The location is at Valley Station Rd and Dixie Highway by the new GattiLand (behind the Captain D's). He has offered the property at a very reasonable rate and with a year's free lease he threw in certainly is trying to help the neighborhood folks who rely on the Post Office in that area.

I do have some questions. Why has Bob Henderson not gotten involved and tried to help this along? Isn't that why he was elected? Or perhaps the guy he always rubberstamps Jerry Abramson? Where are the people who show up for elections that have not done anything since the last election, but are sure to show up for the next one at?. Isn't this what we are supposed to be doing? Getting involved?

Maybe because they cannot profit from it or perhaps it is personal since Bob stole a cell tower deal from Chris Thieneman to bolster his image at the VFW.

Who knows.

Bottom line is this. If I found a place in a short few minutes of making some calls certainly our leaders could spend time helping the residents in this regard instead of harassing them with bogus IPL problems.

Just saying.