Hillside Mayor Fights To Keep Post Office Open
HILLSIDE, Ill. (CBS) -- The mayor of the western suburb of Hillside is trying to enlist U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) in an effort to keep its post office open.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's John Cody reports, Hillside Mayor Joseph Tamburino says the Post Office at 505 N. Wolf Rd. is a vital part of the life of the business community. He says businesspeople would have to drive 2 to 3 miles to mail at post offices in neighboring communities.
The Hillside Post Office is one of 3,700 the U.S. Postal Service has recommended closing, although Tamburino says despite the Internet, the post office still vital to the community.
Tamburino says many of the smaller businesses and law firms in Hillside do not have in-house mailing facilities and still depend on the post office for their business communication.
In all, the Postal Service is considering 13 Chicago area locations.
In addition to the Hillside branch, post offices in Riverdale and LaGrange Park may also be closed, as well as the following Chicago city locations:
3639 W. 79th St.,
611 W. 63rd St.,
700 E. 61st St.,
6559 S. Ashland Ave.,
2345 S. Wentworth Ave.,
168 N. Clinton St.;
4222 W. Madison St.,
116 S. Western Ave.,
324 S Laramie Ave.
and 5001 W. Division St.
No office will be closed before December and, until then, the Postal Service will be taking public comment about the impact of closing the post offices on the list.
The Post Office has said many of the closed buildings nationwide will be replaced by what are called village post offices – based in local stores, libraries or local government buildings.
