A recent communication from the United States Postal Service pretty much confirms what we already knew … that the Oak Creek postal sorting facility is on hold, and there probably won’t be any financial assistance from the USPS for the Pennsylvania/Nicholson Avenue project.
According to the October 29 letter from Paul Purcell, manager of real estate acquisition for the USPS, to the City of Oak Creek: “A combination of economic forces and a drop in mail volume have led us to suspend most new construction projects including this one.”
As a result, the letter states, the USPS can’t commit to construction plans and any potential contribution toward planned improvements to Pennsylvania/Nicholson. That means that any road improvements, now planned for 2011 and 2012, will probably fall on the shoulders of the state, Oak Creek and South Milwaukee. (It’s going to be split 80%-10%-10%.)
Again, this is no surprise. But it’s at least good to know where things stand as design work on this road project begins in earnest in 2010.
You can learn more about the Pennsylvania/Nicholson project in this October post. And check out this post on the postal facility.
You can read the full USPS letter to Oak Creek here.
A few additional notes about this:
- The letter indicates the postal facility may proceed on a smaller scale … even though that may require new approvals from local officials. Stay tuned on that potential “re-sizing,” as the USPS puts it.
- The USPS still wants to be part of the Pennsylvania/Nicholson planning and design process, should work on the facility proceed. According to the letter, any improvements necessary for the facility, whenever it is built, can be accomplished at some point in the future.
- Without the USPS’ financial involvement, the addition of the roundabout planned for Hickory Street seems unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely. Again, the design process will help determine the potential options here, and residents will have plenty of opportunities to give their feedback.
- The letter also contains reference to the Pennsylvania/Nicholson project plans being “accelerated.” They are not. This has been on the drawing board for some time … and the fact is that we can’t let the uncertainty surrounding the postal facility determine how we proceed with this important road project.
- Oak Creek Mayor Dick Bolender has since sent a response letter to federal postmaster general regarding the future of the facility. The letter reminds that postal officials that, at this point, work on Pennsylvania/Nicholson will proceed “without the installation of the roundabout, the frontage road, and within a right of way that is inconsistent with plans for the USPS project.” He adds that the USPS may have to go through the project approval process a second time if the project is revived. Bolender urges the “USPS to reconsider its position with respect to the project” and “commit now to reconstruction of S. Pennsylvania Avenue from Hickory to College including the roundabout and frontage road.”
I’ll keep you posted on what happens next on this project.
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