Published: November 19, 2009 11:47 pm      

Postal Service reviewing bids for Cumberland contract outlet

CUMBERLAND— Through rain, sleet, snow or gloom of night, Cumberland residents may soon have a new outlet for postal products and services.

Bidding has closed for a new contract postal unit in the area, with six businesses showing interest, according to Yvette Singh, communications coordinator with the U.S. Postal Service. “The bids have been sent to headquarters,” said Singh. “They’re making the final decisions as we speak.”

Singh would not discuss the locations of the potential new postal unit, including whether any of the bidders is in the city limits.

The postal unit that operated at Aber’s Hallmark on Baltimore Street closed in late October. The unit at PharmaCare on Bedford Road is still open.

Along with Aber’s closing, Station A Post Office on Virginia Avenue has cut back its hours. Phil Jones, with the American Postal Workers Union Local 513, said the decrease in postal service coverage is a problem.

“We’ve talked to Senator (Ben) Cardin and have also been in touch with Senator (Barbara) Mikulski pertaining to the situation with the stations and the branches,” said Jones. “The answer we get is that if people want to carry on their postal business with Station A, they can always come uptown to the office on Park Street. A lot of people there don’t have the means to do that — a lot of them are older people on fixed incomes who don’t just jump in the car and ride that far.”

“The post office doesn’t want to take that into consideration,” said Jones. “They’re having problems everywhere.”

The contract postal units sell postal products like stamps and packing material. They also provide postal services, allowing customers to mail packages and letters, with the exception of money orders and post office box rentals. The products and services offered at a postal unit cost the same that they would at a full-fledged post office.

Contact Cory Galliher at cgalliher@times-news.com.