Federal judges join fight to save post office

RALEIGH -- Three federal judges and several downtown businesses have joined an effort to save the historic post office on Fayetteville Street, Mayor Charles Meeker said Tuesday.

In a press conference on the steps of the 134-year-old facility, Meeker urged the U.S. Postal Service to reconsider its decision to close the postal station, housed in the historic Federal Building. The station is slated to close July 15.

“There’s plenty of time to get this thing turned around,” Meeker said.

The federal government has spent $8 million to restore the building to its original splendor, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judges Randy Doub, J. Rich Leonard and Stephani W. Humrickhouse wrote in a joint letter.

Bronze boxes were cleaned of decades of corrosion, new chandeliers went up and brass writing desks and fixtures were restored.

“Although the Post Office has contributed little to this effort, it has been one of the major beneficiaries,” the judges wrote.

Faced with a drastic drop in mail volume, the U.S. Postal Service says it must close stations and scale back services. The nearest alternative for downtown mail is nearly a mile away on New Bern Avenue.