Above: The Fayville Post Office at 67 Turnpike Road (via Google Maps)
Last week the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service said it would launch a study of 3,600 post offices nationwide for possible closure. The list named 43 offices in Massachusetts, but didn’t include either of Southborough’s two post offices.
I have to admit every time the Postal Service announces it might close underused offices – as it has twice this year already – I wonder if the Fayville Post Office will be on the chopping block.
While the post office on Route 9 in Fayville played a memorable role in Southborough’s history – namely during the Tornado of 1953 – today it takes a backseat to Southborough’s main post office in the Town Center Plaza on Cordaville Road.
In the 25 or so (discontinuous) years I’ve lived in Southborough, I don’t think I’ve ever had occasion to enter the Fayville Post Office. Since I’m clearly not the best person to judge its relevance, I’ll leave it up to you. Should Southborough have two post offices? Is the Fayville office an important part of your routine? Would you miss it if it closed?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
I probably go to the town center post office about once a month to drop off a letter (usually a non-regular bill) in their mailbox outside the building. All the automatic/direct pay, bill pay, and email features on the web have saved me many trips to the post office. A book of 20 stamps last more than a year for us.
However, mail delivery has been essential for us. My two kids love to get their children’s magazines and birthday party invitations from the mailbox. Getting the mail from our mailbox is their favorite chore. I can’t imagine delivering mails 3 days a week as a possible solutions suggested by some people in Washington to cover the shortfall.
I have been in town nearly 50 years and haven’t had occasion to use the Fayville PO, but if it were to close I would be sad; another historic landmark gone in the name of progress. I am sure there is a small but loyal group of residents that would feel the pinch. I do remember going to Fitzgerald’s (when the 2 sisters owned it) as a young child with my Dad when we were still an RFD address….
Absolutely we should close the Fayville post office.
If the Fayville PO is *not* on the list of potential closures, what the heck is? I’ve lived here 17 years and have never set foot inside. Ditto Susan, who’s been here 25 years or so – not to mention Tim D above, who says he hasn’t used the place in half a century!
Naturally, I would feel for any workers at the Fayville PO who were laid off. But the fact that this underused facility, which sits less than a mile from the town’s primary PO, is not on the chopping block tells us a great deal about the fiscal woes of the USPS.
Steve’s comments captures the issue precisely! If we can’t agree to make such a minor change as this, how in the heck can we even even think of balancing the federal budget!
Steve, I use the Fayville PO frequently. There are no lines – usually – and it’s easy in and out. Great during the holidays!
+1 shut ‘er down! Sell the land and pay down our federal debt.
Maybe they could put something useful in it’s place – like a market.
The Fayville post office, if I remember correctly, is not staffed, and hasn’t been for several years. The last I knew, it was open for PO boxes only. When my parents ran the Wagon Wheel on Route 9, and when I worked for R E Jarvis in the late 1970’s, both establishments had Fayville addresses and were serviced by the Fayville post office, not Southborough. In today’s economy, although some residents of Fayville still have boxes there, it’s a shame to see the government leave that open, yet threaten other post offices which serve small communities as part of general stores. The times, they are a changin’.
Interesting how people who haven’t ever been there automatically say close the Fayville p.o.!
I use it as my primary post office–it’s within walking distance of many people and less than a mile for a whole lot of us. Many others rent a p.o. box. I recall hearing another time that Fayville serves a lot of the companies nearby that we might not be including. When I go, there’s usually at least one other person there–and often someone stopping in to get their box mail.
If the “new” p.o. had more than two “windows” (who designed that?!) it might at least be able to serve more people. There’s almost always a line when I go there for one purpose–to pick up mail that’s been held when I’m away.
I’m the first to love historic buildings but this isn’t one–it may be a historic spot on the ground but the building is long gone.
Final question: Can someone corroborate this? It think that post offices often lease the building in and/or the land they’re on so from that aspect, closing it may well not provide any income for the government.
As always…. worth checking your “facts” out before jumping to conclusions!
I disagree with Donna.
I have been to this post office several times. I agree with you that the design of the new post office is odd, to say the least!
Whether the property is owned by the federal government or leased, there is still a cost to operate this facility. With a new post office so close, how can we justify continuing to pay the cost to operate it? Simply because its personally convenient?
There comes a point when we need to identify what we can to reduce the cost of government. Something has to give and in my opinion, this is a very easy choice. Personal convenience is a “nice to have” choice, but if we can’t agree to close something like this, where do we start?
I’d much rather see the tax money spent on projects to help the people who are out of work!
(I believe the Fayville Post Office is a rented facility and the building is owned by Elias Aoude who owns the nearby Mobil station.)
I have a hard time with this one because those letters from Grandma and Auntie Cathy to my kids are worth all the junk mail and catalogs, but not quite worth the budget woes of such a business.
Eliminate Saturday deliveries, cut it back to three days a week in a few years, who know how that would affect the pensions (remember them?) for those workers who have been out there for decades delivering the mail.
I hate those ads addressed to resident, I honestly don’t care if Mattison had sold another house, but then those letters from Grandma and Auntie Cathy need to arrive.
Tough times, changing times and priorities, I think we need to cut back where we can, make those choices ourselves that the government can’t handle. I would support closing Fayville voluntarily if we had the power. We need to if it makes a difference, it’s like taking a handout we want but don’t really need.
Not likely to see anything worthwhile in it’s place since the Mr. Aboude can’t build much given the lack of property in the back, kind of a drop off I think, he tried a short while back to put a used car lot in the empty space next door but the town shut him down, only enough property to tax I guess.