Washington, D.C. – Closing the Oteen Post Office in Asheville would require area residents and employees at the Charles George Veterans Affairs Medical Center to drive 14 miles for similar postal services, Representative Heath Shuler said in a letter he sent to the Postmaster General.
The Oteen facility provides presorting services to 18 departments of the VA hospital and early pick up to expedite the delivery of vital medical paperwork, said Rep. Shuler, D-Waynesville. While the Postal Service claims that the London Road Annex postal facility is only 3.2 miles away, that distance is only straight line measurement.
“In reality, should the Oteen facility close, employees of the VA hospital and citizens in the area would have to drive almost 14 miles round trip to access the nearest postal facility,” he wrote.
Six of the 80 post offices in the Mid-Carolinas District 6 already have been shuttered in the past year, Rep. Shuler said in a separate speech on the House floor Wednesday in support of the Oteen Post Office. The Postal Service has other alternatives to cut its costs, including adjusting post office hours and postal delivery routes to reflect the diminished volume of mail, he said.
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