FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Scuccimarra Holds Meeting on Cold Spring Post Office Relocation, “Constituents Fear PO Will Relocate to Garrison”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MaryEllen Odell
Putnam County Executive
(845) 808-1001
August 28, 2013
Scuccimarra Holds Meeting on Cold Spring Post Office Relocation
“Constituents Fear PO Will Relocate to Garrison”
Last Thursday, Putnam County Legislator Barbara Scuccimarra (R-Philipstown) convened a meeting of state, county and local officials to try to resolve the problem of where the Cold Spring Post Office should be relocated. The post office, which had a 12-year lease at its 51 Chestnut Street location in the Foodtown Plaza, was to vacate the premises by August 31st but received a three month extension to its lease at the 11th hour.
Scuccimarra said her constituents are fearful that should the United States Postal Service (USPS) relocate its Cold Spring carriers to the Garrison Post Office, they will eventually move the retail portion of its office there as well.
Scuccimarra said she, along with numerous town officials, hopes to keep the carriers and the retail portion of the post office centrally located in Cold Spring. She has been working with Cold Spring Mayor Ralph Falloon, Village Planning Board members, Philipstown trustees and developer Paul Guillaro to work out a suitable solution. The post office has until the end of November to relocate.
“The very real fear for the people of Cold Spring is if the carriers move to Garrison, the rest of the post office will follow. What we have been trying to do is put a plan in place to have temporary trailers set up on the Butterfield Project site so the entire postal department can stay in one location,” Scuccimarra said.
At Thursday’s meeting Cold Spring Planning Board Chairman Barney Molloy told representatives from Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney and NYS Sen. Terry Gipson’s office that he was confident, barring any change made by Guillaro to his application, the Board would give its approval at their Sept. 4 meeting.
“Mr. Guillaro should feel confident that his present application will move forward,” said Molloy.
Rep. Maloney and Sen. Gipson have voiced their support in keeping the Cold Spring Post Office within the heart of the village. Earlier this month, Maloney wrote to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe stating that moving the post office to Garrison would “place an undue burden on many of the residents of Cold Spring who rely on this post office for their daily needs – including many senior citizens and veterans.”
Guillaro’s Butterfield Proposal calls for a mix of retail and municipal office space including the post office, a senior center, and branches of several County offices.
Should Guillaro receive approval and agree to temporarily house the three trailer set-up on his site, something he has said he would consider, it would then be up to postal service officials to give the final approval.
Photo caption: Leg. Barbara Scuccimarra, (R- Philipstown), center, held a meeting on Aug. 28 to express her constituents’ fears to state representatives concerning the possible relocation of the Cold Spring Post Office from its Foodtown Plaza locale to a site in Garrison. Seated to the right of Scuccimarra are: Edward W. Bracati, District Director for Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D, Cold Spring), Joseph P. Donat, Deputy District Director for Maloney, Philipstown Councilwoman Nancy Montgomery, Cold Spring Trustee Bruce Campbell, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell, Cold Spring Planning Board Chairman Barney Molloy, Cold Spring Mayor Ralph Falloon and Brian Keeler, Chief of Staff for Sen. Terry Gipson (D- Poughkeepsie).
