The U.S. Post Office has said little about its closure of the branch at 119 Pondfield Road in Bronxville other than issuing a brief notice that the building will be “temporarily closed due to air conditioning issues.”
The Post Office did notify customers that during the closure all services will be transferred to the Yonkers Main Post Office. The Post Office said that it planned to have the Bronxville Post Office reopened and fully operational as soon as possible without offering target date.
U.S. Representative George Latimer, whose 16th Congressional District includes Bronxville, has asked Postmaster General David Steiner about the closure and reports of unsafe working conditions for employees.
Latimer recounted that some of his constituents have been unable to receive important parcels, including medications, posing an immediate and unacceptable risk to their health.
“My office has received constituent reports about the possible presence of mold and maintenance issues with the boiler at the Bronxville Post Office,” Latimer said in a letter to Steiner. “USPS has an obligation to ensure that it provides employees with a safe and healthy work environment as well as prompt, reliable, and efficient services for patrons.”
Latimer said that USPS staff and patrons had been relying on two small portable fans to cool the front office and lobby areas. He also noted that one of the exterior light fixtures at the main entrance had been non-functional for over a year and that the only working fixture remained continuously on, suggesting there may be a broader malfunction in the lighting system. He wanted to know whether mold had been detected and if so what action is being taken to remediate the condition.
Latimer told Steiner that he wants timely answers to what’s being done to fix any problems.
Construction of the building was completed in 1937. In 1988 the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It also is listed in the New York State Register of Historic Places.
