Glenoaks Post Office closes in Burbank

The Glenoaks Post Office closed its doors last month and its two employees were reassigned to nearby branches after more than two years of hand-wringing by residents.

The move will reportedly save the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service $740,270 in utility, transportation and maintenance costs over the next decade. The agency also plans to sell the building, located at 1634 N. San Fernando Blvd., which will bring in an additional chunk of revenue, said U.S. Postal Service spokesman Richard Maher.

“We have to remove equipment and prepare it to market it,” Maher said. “Whatever we get for it would be revenue generation.”

After the agency announced its decision to close the facility last year, nine Burbank residents filed separate appeals arguing against the closure, citing the inconvenience of “slow and tedious” lines and lack of parking at nearby alternatives.

Rep. Adam Schiff had called the potential closure “misguided” and felt that it would “degrade the quality of service and further debilitate an important and historic part of American life.”

But in October, the Postal Regulatory Commission affirmed the decision to close the local post office, dismissing the appeals. The station’s revenue in recent years has steadily declined as access to postal services expanded to grocery stores, pharmacies, office-supply stores and online.

Roughly 250 active post office boxes in the Glenoaks facility were moved to the downtown Burbank post office, which is located about a mile away at 135 E. Olive Ave., and patrons have maintained their addresses and zip codes.

Two full-service post offices remain in Burbank, though roughly 15 post offices are located within 5 miles of the closed branch.

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Follow Alene Tchekmedyian on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek.

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