WESTMINSTER — The Harris Park Station Postal Facility — a fixture in the area for more than 100 years — has been saved from the U.S. Postal Service budget ax for at least a year.
The announcement that Harris Park survived a closure attempt led to loud cheers from a crowd gathered Tuesday night at a rally for the facility. Most use the branch every day to not only get mail but also catch up with neighbors and get community news, said critics of the closure idea.
They were relieved when Postal Service retail manager Lisa Gamboa said officials decided late last week to give the branch a reprieve.
“That was a pleasant surprise,” said Vi June, who helped organize a petition drive to save the branch. By Tuesday night, organizers had gathered more than 2,500 signatures.
“We have spoken with one voice,” said Gary Shea, president of the Westminster Progressive Homeowners Association.
Harris Park was among 66 postal buildings in Colorado being targeted for consolidation to cut costs. That list was recently whittled to only two — one in Fort Collins that would be moved to a smaller site, and Harris Park.
Under the proposed plan, patrons of Harris Park — at 7262 Meade St. — would begin using Westminster’s main post office, at West 105th Avenue and Federal Boulevard.
June said the residents who use Harris Park are mostly elderly and getting to the main facility would be a hardship. Opponents also pointed out the branch had roots dating back to the 1890s, when a general store in that location began receiving mail.
“This is a hub of the community, and we can’t afford losing it,” June said.
Gamboa said the amount of the lease on the Harris Park building is low enough to make it more economical to operate than other branches.
Still, she warned supporters that the Postal Service will probably be grappling with a $9 billion deficit next year. Cuts in services are inevitable, and Harris Park could be back on the chopping block.
“We know how much this branch means to the community, and we want to have a post office in every city in the country,” Gamboa said. “But in maybe a year or two, it could be put back on the list.
“Everything is on the table.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
