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CONGRESSMAN BISHOP WELCOMES DOWNTOWN ALBANY POST OFFICE CONTRACT RENEWAL

July 9, 2014

ALBANY, GA – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) welcomed the United States Postal Service's (USPS) five-year lease renewal of the Albany Post Office located at 345 West Broad Avenue. Congressman Bishop has been actively involved in working with the USPS and the Albany community in keeping this important post office open for the future.

"The re-signing of the lease is welcome news to the businesses and residents of Albany that rely on our downtown Post Office," said Congressman Bishop. "I am grateful for everyone that worked to ensure that people in the Albany area are provided the services they need from the United States Postal Service."

"I am pleased and excited that the contract for the downtown Post Office has been set and I am grateful and thankful to Congressman Bishop for his work with us on this local issue," said Dorothy Hubbard, Mayor of Albany. "This is an example of what working together can accomplish. Thanks to Congressman Bishop for taking the lead in ensuring that the United States Postal Service listened to us and heard our concerns."

The USPS has been facing severe financial challenges due to increased electronic communications and required payments in future retiree health benefits, which has resulted in proposals for post office closures around the nation. The Broad Avenue location in Albany is one of the post offices which had been targeted by the USPS for closure. Many Albany leaders and residents argued that closure of the Broad Avenue Post Office would have a detrimental impact on downtown Albany, given its convenient location to local businesses and the historic nature of the building. The USPS signed a one-year lease in September 2013 to remain at the Broad Avenue location. The new lease will last until July 2019.

"This was a total team effort that included both local leadership and our Washington delegation of Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Johnny Isakson, and a strong lead by Congressman Sanford Bishop!" said Jeff Sinyard, County Commissioner.

"We are really pleased that we can now have the Post Office as a more stable tenant," said Frances Krack, the landlord of the property. "It would have been a disgrace to the integrity of the over 100 year old building to tear out the mail boxes, which have belonged to some families for decades. That was my main concern, disassembling the history that this building stands for."

In March 2013, Congressman Bishop hosted a meeting in his Washington D.C. Office with community leaders from Albany and representatives from the United States Postal Service. To see pictures from this meeting, please click here.

For more information regarding Congressman Bishop's efforts to keep the Albany Post Office open, please click here and here.