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5.0. 6.0. 7.0. HRSR 11-09-1998 ELK RIVER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY • MEMORANDUM TO: Economic Development Authority FROM: Paul T. Steinman, Director of Economic Development DATE: November 9, 1998 SUBJECT: Agenda Memo Central Minnesota Initiative Fund Contribution Issue At the last EDA meeting, representatives from the Central Minnesota Initiative Fund (CMIF) made a presentation regarding a request for . additional dollars to CMIF by the Economic Development Authority. Their request was in the amount of approximately $14,000. In 1997, the EDA and City Council provided a contribution to CMIF in the total amount of$5,000. CMIF's initial request was in the amount of $19,000 based upon a per capita figure applied to all cities in their fourteen county service territory. Staff feels the $5,000 contribution was, and still is, an appropriate level of contribution from the City of Elk River. The city already bears most of the burden of economic development utilizing taxpayer dollars. Staff feels it is most appropriate for CMIF to maintain its capitalization from sources other than taxpayer dollars. Recommendation Staff recommends denying the CMIF request for an additional contribution in the amount of approximately $14,000, and to authorize staff to provide a letter explaining such action to CMIF. IP 13065 Orono Parkway • R. O. Box 490 • Elk River, MN 55330-1743 • (612) 441-7420 • Fax (612) 441-7425 Equal Opportunity Housing and Equal Opportunity Employment EDA Agenda Memo November 9, 1998 Page 2 • 7. Recommendation to Council on Sherburne County Business Development Fund Issue Michael Darger, Director of Economic Development for Sherburne County, will be available at this EDA meeting to request an EDA/Council commitment to the Sherburne County Business Development Fund. Staff is supporting this fund by recommending that the EDA requests the Council to approve the city's participation in the fund by pledging to invest up to $250,000 in FDIC insured certificates of deposit with area banks to create a pool of funds to attract/retain industrial and manufacturing businesses in Sherburne County. EDA action will be forwarded to the City Council for final approval on November 9, 1998. Background The Sherburne County Business Development Fund is an interest rate buy-down program. There will be a number of"investors" in the program such as cities, the county, banks, utility companies, etc. Each investor will pledge to participate in the program by committing to invest a specific dollar amount at the time of approval of business applications to the fund. Sherburne County has agreed to pledge an investment of up to $1 million and other committed investors include the Bank of Elk River and First National Bank of Elk River. The investors will take a very minor reduction in the interest rate we could otherwise receive through other investments, thereby passing this savings along to the business. The business applicant will be able to secure a 5 year fixed financing rate at 7%. The difference between what the city could invest its dollars for in other instruments versus certificates of deposit may be approximately 1%. This 1% "loss" of interest income would approximate $12,500 over a 5 year term if all $250,000 of the city's pledge were to be called upon for use immediately. It is unlikely that all $250,000 of the city's pledge would be called upon immediately due to the number of investors in the program and the entire pool of funds which may be approximately $ 2 million. Business applicants are limited to $500,000 per business and staff would estimate the potential $ 2 million fund to last approximately 2 years. Staff also would encourage the EDA and Council to view the $12,500 not as lost interest income, but as an additional investment in growing the tax base of Sherburne County. One example of a project may be as follows: EDA Agenda Memo November 9, 1998 Page 3 • • Manufacturing business approved for $500,000 loan • 10 investors are called upon to purchase $50,000 each in CDs with the designated bank • The designated bank then in turn lends the "new money" to the business at a rate of 7% • The CDs which are purchased by the investor are for a minimum term of 5 years. There are several issues in this example which are variable, including that the City of Elk River, as an investor in the program, may be called upon to purchase any dollar amount of CDs at a designated bank up to its pledge of$250,000. There may be other instances where the City of Elk River, as an investor, is not called upon at all to purchase CDs for a specific project. In that instance, the specific project may be entirely funded by the city in which it will locate its operations. Conclusion City staff has encouraged the formation of this interest buy-down program at the county level for approximately one year. It is one more valuable tool that Elk River will be able to take advantage of as well as other communities in Sherburne County. This tool will not only help grow businesses in Elk River, but build tax base for the entire county through participation from major stakeholders in Sherburne County. Staff feels Elk River is in a good position to get its share of businesses through this program, and will work hard to do so. Other investors who have committed to the program include Sherburne County, in the amount of$ 1 million, The Bank of Elk River, and First National Bank of Elk River. In staffs view, every investor, taxpayer, and economic development organization in Sherburne County stands to benefit from the results of this program, regardless of the location of the new business or business expansion project. Recommendation Staff recommends the EDA request the City Council to participate as an investor in the Sherburne County Business Development program by pledging to commit $250,000. • EDA Agenda Memo November 9, 1998 Page 4 8. Public Informational Meeting-Relocation of Post Office Issue The US Postal Service has requested that the City of Elk River Economic Development Authority provide a forum for a public informational/input meeting regarding the potential relocation of the Elk River Post Office. The United States Postal Service is required by federal law to hold such an informational/input meeting prior to making decisions about any potential relocation of their operations. The HRA will be attending this EDA meeting to address issues and provide input as needed. Individuals from the postal service will be available to make a short presentation to the EDA prior to taking public comment. As staff discussed with the EDA, it is important to discuss the EDA/HRA interest in maintaining a post office presence somewhere in the core central business district. This would likely require that the operation be split with warehousing and distribution being located in one of the city's business parks and the retail/service operation remaining located in the central business district. The postal service has indicated this is not an ideal situation for the operation of their business, but it has been done in other similar situations. Background The postal service is proposing to purchase an approximately 2 to 3 acre lot upon which it will construct about 22,000 square feet. This building will house their retail and service operation as well as warehousing and distribution. In addition, the building would be able to accommodate inside parking of postal vehicles and semi truck traffic for distribution purposes. There are several challenges in attempting to find a location for this size of operation and mix of uses anywhere in the central business district. Staff underwent the same type of search for the Star News when it discussed combining warehousing/distribution and their service operation somewhere in the central business district. In either case, an ideal spot for a retail location would likely not be considered ideal for warehousing and distribution. It is likely the only area that would be zoned properly for this type of mixed use would be Business Park. EDA Agenda Memo November 9, 1998 Page 5 • .111) Recommendation There is no formal action required by the EDA at this time regarding this issue. \\elkriver\sys\shrdoc\eda\meetings\agdamm.doc DISTRICT MANAGER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SALES ••40a NORTHLAND DISTRICT UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE October 13, 1998 Hank Duitsman Mayor of Elk River PO Box 490 Elk River, MN 55330-0490 Dear Mayor Duitsman: The Postal Service has determined that the present postal facility located on 302 Irving Avenue is inadequate to serve Elk Rivers' future postal needs. We need to expand operations to enhance both the quality of postal services we provide to your community and our employees' working conditions. After consulting with the Postmaster of Elk River, we find that we need, ideally, approximately 22,000 square feet of net interior space. To meet these new requirements, our first consideration is to expand the existing postal facility. If this is not feasible, we will then consider relocating to another building or construct a new building on a site that is, ideally, approximately 117,000 to 135,000 square feet. In the event another building or site must be identified, every effort will be made to maintain it within the downtown business area of Elk River. The Postal Service wishes to work in partnership with your community. Therefore, we ask your assistance and cooperation in having this project scheduled for the next available town meeting so that the general public may express its opinions and offer constructive comments on the project. Thank you for your participation in this process and we look forward to continue working with you and your staff as this project develops. Sincerely, n Michele Purton '- 100 S 1ST STREET RM 409 MINNEAPOLIS MN 55401-9990 TEL:(612)349-3500 FAX:(612)349-6377 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE • , October 19, 1998 PAUL STEINMAN DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PO BOX 490 ELK RIVER MN 55330-0490 Dear Mr. Steinman: I enjoyed meeting with you on Tuesday to discuss the proposed new postal facility for Elk River. In summary, we discussed the following: • Conditions in the existing postal facility and deficiencies in the building and site. • Postal Service requirements for a new facility and the benefits of a new facility for employees and customers. • Growth projections for Elk River and developing areas within the city. • Difficulties with expanding the present facility and disposition of the present facility should the operation move. • Your concerns about moving the post office out of the downtown area. • Properties that might be available for a new postal facility. • The anticipated project schedule. We agreed to have the new postal facility discussed as a part of the agenda at the next Economic Development Authority Meeting on Monday, November 9 at 6:00 PM at the Elk River City Hall. We will be sending Ken Kruger a public hearing notice for use in publicizing the meeting. Following the public hearing I will notify you of our decision on how the project will proceed. If you have any questions or need an update on the project at any time, please feel free to call me at 913-831-1855, extension 436. Sincer: ,, tev• uyskens Real Estate Specialist, Sr. Facilities Service Office 6800 W 64th Street Suite 100 Bldg 8 Overland Park KS 66202-4171 cc: Legislative Affairs Corporate Relations District ASO S 10 Planning October 199b P L A N N I N G • P R A C T I C E Home Delivery Through rain or sleet, these communities will fight to keep their post offices downtown. By Philip Langdon ;:- i r ` c *i r s d'3 v ./.a "I++ 4 17 f. '' 11 i'f'i S'TA +a L'I'" \ • ,ili ‘1, ......f:-.=- --7---2.,--.-27..., ::...-1.. •L..- '1 y. f �^E fi} • Y ; ''r-dr,-I, i t. '4,;;;,.:,,I �r V.,%,,,.,_ - i � , f K.' ®iii®I 1;; E I _ '�zS tc`^�.'. :—.)1-:-.,7,1;-"V.K. a ri7j-i I.:,7 t I. ,11 c lz '�r' .1# �g =Z'4 � #.: 7 ' • -.",`,,".--.,4"-zz.-;.:-4-1,-.!r a ra Yw 4x.--�,� . s'14,-,:v• � }K197t d4. �x a s Oa re.,,4,. �� "4i'i ;.l �� a-_!.. _ _ tera._ y.�,re 1 „ ,,,.;4, t t -zg- '. i. ,r •� v+'4ei,'5 - ' — _ -_ -. �s* }'i . - i�'tY,'i.. ' • any rL..,•,••••-.:•'.14.".•1•:,•-:.e .. " y a. ��> .a', c •; a sr . ' "A compromise ise in Madison, Connecticut eC, likt' , it '* - itiJ .0 TWEEt( r 11 2�D P ' r One-stop .. ^�� +8r p j, a Saturday morn w 1 t�,� i' shopping. You I r ': ,_ .:, II1gs the most civic can buy cards 1,.'..-..;.--.7'. .'- ' ` :#1£ '''''-:^".'-::-, ''` minded spot in a- ., - — --- __ I gifts—oh yes, lIZ, . . . Madison, Connecticut, is a stamps too—at s' ,;hite orticoed,Geo.gian * —'—I ' — .,. p style file new post °s,;. 1�,st offia_ that h�. presided office in "—"f; — . over down�..ow n s busiest cor- Edgew.,;Cr, _. ,••-- ,, �� , �,x, ner since 1939. "That's where 19aryland. ., _.i ,,,--y the politicians hang out;that's si ____ .Y ■- ..„..4. where you car. get a petition �- ;_• ■r i" v ,� _ 4*- where signed says Ton]MacDonald, �g t chitect in the prosperousgi,,' i�. t.. .:n of 16,000, a half-hour's4,....:,•.-,,,;.. ..:::_,,,,:‘,--- , ice' drive east of New Haven. At the foot of the outside to the first selectman.' a distribution facility that the regulatory board, objected to stair leading to the building's About four years ago,postal U.S.Postal Service would erect the proposed encroachment on double doors, the library sells officials decided that the 4,000- on some other site. a pond and nature area. Resi- calendars and local organiza- square-foot building, with its The response was immedi- dents argued that the post of- *ns solicit public support. oak-trimmed postal boxes and ate. Town officials criticized fice belonged downtown, an ne man had a'listening post lobby mural depicting the liar- the barbed-wire-topped chain- easy stroll from coffee shops, there,"says Madison planning vesting of salt hay in nearby link fence that the Postal Ser- the public library, a thriving and zoning director William marshes, had become too vice intended to install around bookstore,and other local mer- McMinn, AICP. "IIe asked cramped to function efficiently the mail trucks' parking lot. chants. people for their opinions and and should be shut down. Its The Inland Wetlands Commis- After more than three years suggestions,and reported back functions would be moved to sion, a local environmental of contention, the post office 11 P L A N N I N G ' R A C T I C E finally agreed to split its op- post office and federal build- Big business side. So does overnight park- erations, opening a distribu- ing, which dated from 1935, No one disputes that as the ing of fleets of delivery ve- tion facility in the new loca- was too costly to maintain. operator of some 37,000 facili- hicles. And so does parking tion while keeping its "retail" In Washington, Missouri, ties, the Postal Service must for customers who increasingly functions (selling stamps and about 50 miles west of St.Louis, operate in a businesslike way. arrive at the post office by car. accepting packages)downtown. the Postal Service contended The service has been a quasi What bothers the critics is that replacing the too-small independent agency since 1971, what they perceive as the Postal Newer is better downtown post office,built in and since 1983,when govern- Service's inconsistency—and Madison's struggle is far from 1923, with a new facility on a ment subsidies for all but a sometimes inaccuracy. In unique. In 1997, the Postal busy highway strip two miles few categories of mail deliv- Hartwell,Georgia,for example, Service opened 385 newly built away, would better serve de- ery ended, it has been self- the postmaster cited a customer facilities and shifted another veloping sections of the city. supporting. survey claiming there wasn't 310 post offices from one leased The relocation process is It's also true that operations enough parking.Yet Mary Alice location to another. Some of becoming a national issue.Last have changed dramatically Applegate, executive director that activity, especially in the year, Rep.Earl Blumenauer,a from the days when intercity of the Downtown Develop- Sun Belt, was a response to Democrat from Portland, Or- mail moved mainly by train ment Authority, points out, population growth. However, egon,introduced legislation that and was sorted on board spe- "There's a public parking lot a a number of the moves—the would require the Postal Ser- cial cars. Today, mail travels half-block away. I'm the only service says it doesn't know vice to carry out a formal pro- mostly by truck or air and is one who uses it." how many—involved reloca- cess of community consulta- sorted by huge machines, After months of dispute,the tion from old downtown build- tion whenever a relocation is which require more floor space Postal Service conceded this ings to new facilities in outly- planned.Nearly 100 represen- than can be found in many old summer that Hartwell's down- ing areas. tatives have signed on as co- postal buildings.Maneuvering town post office could con- The reasons given for relo- sponsors of Blumenauer's"Post 18-wheelers to the loading tinue to operate—with ramps ions vary from place to place. Office Community Partnership docks requires more space out- added for disabled customers— ., Hartwell, Georgia, the lo- Act" H.R. 1231). cal postmaster argued that the A companion bill in the Sen- downtown's 60-year-old post ate is sponsored by Vermont e: 1'�'' • (� ' IL- office should be vacated be- Republican Jim Jeffords and ` "''r �, 1 • .< Big trucks cause of asbestos contamina- Montana Democrat Max - �: -- - tion, poor accessibility for the Baucus.Postal Service officials wen. like this disabled, and a lack of conve- have registered their opposi five-ton meqq..` Brentwood nient parking.In Terre Haute, tion to the legislation, which i itI 1 !I Indiana, administrators de- they see as intruding on their .ted' •i mean igger Glared that the combination decision-makingpowers. `' _ y parks parking _ a \ lots. New machinery like this bar code sorter in Syracuse is one reason the Postal Service needs more space. �' _ �ffl 1 _ if mail sorting and carrier ac- tivities were moved to a new .. *?� , location. �� r ;,tib_ s 4^� ` 1. In Washington, Missouri, 4 •P local people remained so de- `, voted to a downtown location 10.1• • � r ,. t' that the Washington Area if ,, �_- "'x � Chamber of Commerce in No- vember 1997 pledged$100,000 <<t — �7to a fund drive to help build p T.;;,., _ ,, sthe new post office in the Gen ,�44f --,r,- ; .I. , tral business district. --_-_- ` F. Nine months later,the Postal -, _ \ i '' - Service relented, agreeing to - """":�.. % i \\ `•'S 1 renovate the downtown build- t� ' 1 _ - ing and offer a full range of ,I�'; , C i . 1 / services there,while also erect- 1 "`) ' :I ,, "" ivirti t " .-- • VA ing a new post office on the - t�'), i l�.'11' .. 12 Planning October 1998 P L A N N I N G r P R A C T I C E highway outside of town. The - community's donations, � which eventually totaled $180,000,were turned down by 2 •-440,0". ��"" postal officials. = 4 . _ i Zoning game s i " Planner Bill McMinn in Madi , a 1 son, Connecticut, says he has ?k ,f, ' . ., F*. found postal administrators to ,, �° f 3 be "understanding and very -, -:- i.- - 1 professional"but frustratingly r ,_ i- ' r�1 q- ,�"` -� ". 'j' l 4 ` €J 1`{1 bureaucratic. Often, he says, 12 r,';',:-'4 --7 '" -'F�^ , , " q s. -".,�4 (, it's difficult to reach anyone :it- ��> � > �rac .. i rn � in the postal hierarchy who 14` r 1:11_ --� 'I w' , ( l 1 a as mkF ig iii-Aili I can act on local concerns, not !' "' 1 h • = ■ AO k�. ix ;°" '. . i 4..1r+;. -}.r1,74"-....3"••-•?. * -` rc n �i : :: �r��i4 �'w`�-:•�'''�`" just listen to them. ....•i -....ii--, e• 'ix... y .�,k, Nx , I • - . it ; The Postal Service contends �m•41;q ',-' ' �`i i• , 1t 9a( '^'� :1 1 2,41ra s k va& 'ti ti� ail that it has a "long-standing l " r• r<• policy of complying with local = `� -"_"' ' ' ". SRA zoning and land-use ordinances Some Postal Facts standing Florida water body." office had occupied part of a Chatfield.Now it appears that 38,019 post offices Larry Donell Blanchard, an shopping center in the tiny, a new free-standing post of- 331 processing plants attorney for the Postal Service, but long-established downtown fice will be built in the village 34,588 buildings with 270 wrote to county officials that of the village of Tully (pop. center. million square feet "any permit and/or zoning re- 911). "We wanted the post of- A regional planning corn- 192,904 delivery vehicles quirements that Leon County fice to stay downtown," says mission turned things around 18 million postal boxes may have do not apply to prop- town planning board member in Ball Ground,Georgia,a city 630 million pieces of mail erty owned or even leased by Scott Chatfield."What was im- of approximately 1,000 on the handled daily the Postal Service." That an- portant to us was that the fringe of suburban Atlanta.There 7 million customers served tagonized county officials.Al- economy and the viability of too, the Postal Service wanted daily though John Sorenson,federal the village be preserved." to move out of downtown.Citi- preservation officer at Postal But the Postal Service insisted zen activist Judson Roberts re- Service headquarters,says,"we on a free-standing structure on ports that the city council asked do everything we can to com- two acres outside the village, the Atlanta Regional Commis- and building codes when it ply with local regulations,"crit- preferably near an Interstate sion to respond because the can do so consistent with pru- ics believe that message is ig- 81 interchange. "If the post region has an air pollution prob- dent business practices and nored by some who carry out office moves out there,it won't lem, which the council said unique postal requirements." postal projects across the na- be too long before the drug would be worsened by addi- But critics charge that in some tion. store and the grocery store tional sprawl.After the regional cases,the individuals in charge Postal policy "depends on move out there,"says Chatfield. commission entered the well- of a building project try to who you talk to, the people Postal officials barely re- publicized fray,postal officials override local regulations. who do the production or the sponded to residents'concerns, offered to look for a site down- Rep. Blumenauer's office people in community relations," he says, until a group of citi- town. points to an example in the says Kevin Pope,Leon County's zens approached Rep. John Tallahassee area, where the environmental compliance di- McHugh, an Upstate New New uses Postal Service was intent on rector. Yorker who chairs the House When a closing is inevitable,a building a 30,000-square-foot Postal Service subcommittee new use may be the answer. ility on a ridge near Lake A little clout (part of the Government Re- In Nashville, for instance, the kson.That location,accord- It took some political arm-twist- form and Oversight Commit- Art Deco main post office is ing to Leon County officials, ing to get the Postal Service to tee) and complained that "we expected to become the Frist would have aggravated flood- change its mind about the site were not getting cooperation." Center for the Visual Arts.Two ing problems and channeled of a new building in the town Within three weeks,postal of- years ago, a long-closed, di- stormwater into the lake,which of Tully, New York, south of ficials "suddenly were willing lapidated 89-year-old post of- has been designated an "out- Syracuse. For years, the post to sit down," according to fice building in Willimantic, I 13 P L A N N I N G • R A C T I C E Farley Post Office at Eighth Kennedy Lawson Smith, direc- Avenue and 32nd Street into a tor of the National Main Street new railroad terminal to re- Center at the National Trust for place the much-maligned Penn Historic Preservation. "I think Station. people are getting so tired of New York Sen.Daniel Patrick having to drive out to the strip - Moynihan is the force behind for basic services. We've the$315 million proposal($200 reached a point where we're +a :,mak = million in public funds and more willing to fight back against 101 . $115 million in private invest- the gradual whittling away of a --t , .. merit),whichwould turn much downtown's economic founda "`�` T ' . `. of the 1.4 million square foot tion," she says. _ I , � , ."F �' post office into a combination There are indications,Smith terminal and shopping mall adds, that the tide is turning. — 6, ,, • i along the lines of Union Sta- "There have been enough > � 1 ;„-.1,•‘:;./1, tion in Washington, D.C. The communities now which have 3� '1.-:4,.' �., Pennsylvania Station Redevel- been able to kee theirpost •,....,.: 11 a� I, Y P P 1 .,.,,, opment Corporation is respon offices downtown and which ` 1= ' sible for the renovation of the have publicized these solutions facility,a section of which will that other communities know still function as the city's only that a relocation isn't inevi- table after all,” she says. � %�� �„ s y _ One sign of change was the �;`+, _ :i.1 --`•,4 June 1997 announcement of use at its best:Nashville's Frist Center for the Visual � �ip'--, VI.E ," T. .t._ the Postal Service's"good neigh- rts(opposite)and the offices of the Ann Arbor Railroad ' P,p 1 �� bor" policy, described in its Corporation in Howell, Michigan(above).Howell's - '- pM 11 new community relations 6,000-square-foot, Georgian-style post office was built in �',,r47 1tl�itl 1' guide'► t ,i� �k, ��� guide.The, says the Postal 1937 in the center of the downtown.Below:A Fourth of , .� s f I. t .$+> is Service should try to meet its July "boom box"parade passes the old post office on a a3 Main Street in Willimantic, Connecticut. The post office `. r Imo_ .� � �1 ��- facilityneeds first byexpand- s:15-'3-1 SW- was made over into a brewpub(right). ) R li`,J iIti' �� ing its present structures, sec ( 0 1 i,� ,, t � � . iIr -. - T-14' 4•4 1 '-•. �, and by renovating existing s -1•- 'ANA Nor 1' _ buildings,and third by build- -_ � = ing new. � _ = _ This s ' _ u - March, Post- ' - g. � � i master Gen- � - , f 1�pl I3 _ eral Marvin tall 1111 _ ,- Runyon an "c� � • ,� t , ( 3�--- it:,...— , ,gi .A.;i c.,1,-; A_J.L. .,.":„.11: 0 li ...:74';4:41 ..4 r7 21.rt t ' i "' -"- ** ': ,.,1,,' nounced a t•• # F y t:A l y-1 it fi: -uv onm "manage- rlUm �!n , '1 L � ✓ •R`r. '' 1. •m>." "H ".'":-.,/ merit ost o - ' --- "''y -,), +�� .. _ as. _ �t.6/ ated" post of .u• t �..•„, °4 t�',�'� „ \i`X ��y t �° qi „t\#r, ,� fice closings. v , `` � � �' ; 3r. , ' ''� � The morato- rium•"' is signifi- i - -,.• .< .;.. r _< .:. r£`ar .= „xY`'..., '$ "t...u;_ �4 gin • • s,,.,,k- Cant,although its impact is limited al- most entirely to rural, low- nnecticut, was sold to a lo- go into buildings like this very 24-hour post office. volume facilities. About 75 to cal resident, and last year it often,"says new owner David 100 such post offices are closed was turned into the Willimantic Wollner. Signs of change each year,says John Sorenson. Brewing Company and Main In New York City, an ambi- Around the country, 30 to 40 (The moratorium does not pre- Street Cafe. "The best part is tious plan is in the works to relocation battles "are either in vent closings due to floods and the look of the place.You don't convert the Beaux Arts James progress or brewing," says other natural disasters.) 14 Planning October 1995 P L A N N I N G O P R A C T I C E I i • '• ',', . Wt.:. • -.• 'r''.• t 6•.7-„.. :.,...., ---- , ..t., lik ' -.1;7 : '.: 1 i ▪ 0'.4.;424.:','•m.,,,,::.4%A k+, r }'�'tr '.-�`� #��' h a� „..,:,.....r.,,,,...,.. •°' 4 h,,l ^ ' y (s r5y, k+,h Yka•s'.r.* �x ,• „ a x ., ..rns 1,.,rz. t}S..>� #y.� t a `d 4A• r :t ',i #' i' 7�'� .• `i *�•' " ...'7",,'-_........--10,,,. ' '-;:,-PP, . .'8! • +- nc °�.Y'.Lf e.•r� • r i a k qy .. '^ fix. w 33 Tyr {y+ _ 1Y` -Y Y4' k , r� s w�i`a-, r +", �i rte" C i f KCL t' 4'-'w4:;'_„.;'''.':-T,•:!.:::':!;; a'7 L 1g Y 7'Q' }1.i i� ----. • ;:' • Y - t i. ,,; r',.b!,6,..,•!•21-,,,.,..,,,,° ,',6-',.-o- � .xs w ..G ° � l')94'...':',1`' r p{a tr.', ,•k 2� ' ,,,a ., • -�' - ' , i"ra �' t '� . .`:V" iiA,s V .�. t c ++rte `.✓f. t.‘:"...:".1r''''.:;:; ? t �'is • ' ,',.;;;:''' - -, ' - .' . ''i- .' ,4:.7,,:-.';',, .=0.,z'r,"'', • . " ' ", ' 4": - ., '.4* ,,,3*.s.,,, '. "k ,:v.....) New York's Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation hopes to incorporate fragments of the old station in its 5315 million conversion of the old General Post Office, the Farley Building, into a new terminal.Both Penn Station, demolished 35 years ago, and the 84-year ,ld post office were designed by McKim,Mead&White. It's important to note that The procedures lay out a are doing their best to respond tential relocation do?"The best in Postal Service terminology, tir:; :table for notifying local to community desires.In many action," Smith says, "is always a "closing" means elimination e ected officials,explaining the instances, he says, the local preventive.'Make sure the lo- of a post office. The actions project at a public meeting, postmaster"wants a brand-new cal postmaster knows how im- that have stirred protests in soliciting community response, building,"but the service ulti- portant the post office is to the Madison, Tully, Washington, presenting the decision to lo- mately works out waivers of downtown's vitality and be Hartwell, Ball Ground, and cal officials,and attempting to parking requirement,or other aware of the need for more or most other locales are not establish "a partnership with issues so that the ex ling fa- different space. considered "closings." They local officials." cility can be expanded rather Planners, Smith emphasizes, are "relocations" or "consoli- than relocated. "Our first can play a key role in negotiat- dations," and thus not coy- What you can do thought is to stay in the down- ing solutions that will meet both ered by the moratorium. While the Postal Service's ini- town," he says. the community's and the Postal Another sign that the Postal tiatives:ever the past year and Kennedy Smith of the Main Service's needs."Sometimes this Service is responding to its a half are positive steps, crit- Street Center favors the legisla- involves accommodating larger critics is an item in the May 7 ics like Tully's Scot' Chatfield tion proposed by Blumenauer, delivery vehicles, providing Federal Register. The an- say they don't go ...r enough. Jeffords,and Baucus."The Postal more on-site parking, or chang- nouncement of"39 CFR Part Legislation is needed to codify Service must follow specific regu- ing a one-way street to two di- 241, Expansion, Relocation, siting decisions,Chatfield says, lations for closing a post of- rections."Sometimes it involves Construction of New Post Of- particularly since the Postal fice," she notes. "This legisla- splitting the retail and distri u- s"describes new procedures Service has claimed that it need tion would create a similar set tion functions or moving to 0 lotifying local citizens and not comply with President of regulations for relocating a larger facilities elsewhe in lic officials about facility Clinton's 1996 Executive Or- nos, office." Sorenson counters downtown—perhaps in va- projects and for soliciting corn- der 13006, which encourages that this requirement could slow cant or underused warehouse, munity views. Postal officials federal facilities to be located relocation or expansion projects department store, or industrial say they expect to incorporate in central cities. to a crawl. building. the procedures into official Sorenson, at the Postal Ser- What should planters and But the Postal Service also policy this year. vice, insists that postal officials others concerned about a po- has an obligation to take lo- P L A N N I N G 4 R A C T I C E cal concerns serioiusly.Laura managers that they have "a Philip Langdon is a writer and editor in New Haven. Skaggs,in the National Trust's public responsibility" that Connecticut. He is the author of A Better Place to Live: public policy department, must be balanced against cost Reshaping the American Suburb,published by the University would remind the agency's objectives. of Massachusetts Press in 1994. Community Crossroads Why do old post offices so buildings with gigantic clock became the dominant archi- local historian in Madiso:.sa s often become community ral- towers. "They were totally tectural style. But it was the of the interior. "It says his is lying points? In part because impractical,"Bruns says of the interior that received the great- an old place." they are among the few sur- Whether a reserved,most viving crossroads of commu- - somber atmosphere csur- nity in a time of sprawl and w.-�-,� _ . , , " o vive the advent of Bugs snny segmentation. 'Ir- v g054°" posters and other PostEi` UttiOS S ORE > Ser- "Their greatness comes from tit 5 ,' - J-', vice attempts to profit :rom what they do:they tie the corn- sib "— , ; �` u 44144 -.-,,AX a pop-culture tie-ins rem s to munity together," says James r .. i b i s \I�,,,I'- ` 4 " be seen.Dignity on Mair Street Bruns, director of the National I M , s * . -�``k-+w11ii. .�n ; , 4-'-'" eses r k o is admirable, but it &'esn't Postal Museum at the ,-sEe Smithsonian Institution and ' i!� _ i ' " necessarily move mercha-disc• .01111. hor of a highly entertain R^ f t .� fit amply researched book, k Sh,J 1 , .•4.• Resources �� , �«�;� � ��� Postal Service. The ;,, "Community Relations '"""` a' -{;k ., inimiliGuide for U.S.Postal Ser 4 vice Facilities Projects' A relic of the old days.Left:A tiny beauty in Crane, Oregon, was published by the �k � ltl�;, agency in June 1997.For l ral, : 1�a towers . The main post office est attention,Bruns notes.Art a copy, contact John i in Washington, D.C., a Ro- ists commissioned by the Trea Sorenson,USPS,4301 WI manesque pile once nicknamed sury Department's Section of son Blvd., Suite 300, Ar "Old Tooth" because of its Painting and Sculpture embel lington,VA.22203-186 1; tower, featured 12-foot-long lished post office lobbies all 70 3 5 2 6 2 7 82;e-mail: Great American Post Offices. minute hands that were so over the country with sculp J S O R E N S O @ e m a i 1. "The earliest post offices in heavy that they would "lose ture and murals. usps.gov. the colonial period were typi- time on the upswing and gain The results include hundreds Action Guide.The Red inprinters' shops or tav- time on the downswing." Book:An Action Guide for cally p of small-town post offices like Preventing the Closing. or o ems or coffeehouses—gather- The last of the Victorian su- the one built in 1939 on the Consolidation of to ng st or ing places like that," Bruns pervising architects,James Knox Boston Post Road in Madison, points out. "It was not until Taylor,preferred Beaux Arts and Connecticut. Though hardly Office is published by the about the 1840s that we started Georgian styling. Many build- grand, the Georgian building National Association of to get government-owned build- ings from his tenure have iden- conveys a dignity that's ab- Postmasters of the United ings," he says. Even then, he tical designs—standardization sent from most new postal fa States, a private organi says,post offices tended to be being an objective that has been cilities.The strips of brass em- lex at 8 Herbert St., integrated into customs houses pursued with uneven zeal dur- bedded in the floor,the gold-leaf Alexandria, VA. 22305; or federal courthouses. ing a century and a half of post lettering over the service win- 703-683-9027.Copies are ilftethe Civil War,the fed- office construction. down, the handsome oak free. r government's During the Depression, around the postal boxes all History. Great rn ambitions became far more money for exterior embellish- engender an atmosphere that can Post Offices,by James lofty.Massive Second Empire- ment was scarce, and in any inspires people to treasure old Bruns,published this year style buildings rose in the case, the leading edge of de- post offices,despite functional by John Wiley&Sons,is 1870s, followed in the 1880s sign was turning toward sim- flaws."It's not bright and mod- $24.95 in a 274 page pa and 1890s by Romanesque plification.Stripped classicism ern looking," Warner Lord, a perbound edition.