(L. to r.); Community Board 11 Chair Jerry Iannece, state Senator Tony Avella, East Bayside Homeowners Association President Frank Skala and Assemblymember Ed Braunstein gathered with Bayside residents to rally against a proposal that calls for the relocation of the Bayside Post Office. State Senator Tony Avella joined elected officials, East Bayside Homeowners Association President Frank Skala, Queens Community Board 11 members and dozens of Bayside residents at a rally in front of the Bayside Post Office, located at 212-35 42nd Ave., protesting the proposed closing and relocation of the post office.

“The post office at this location has been a popular fixture in the Bayside neighborhood and has provided easy and convenient postal services to Bayside residents for years. Any plans to move the post office to a location that will not be able to provide the same expediency that residents have come to rely on, such as easy access, a centralized location, and parking availability, is shortsighted. While I appreciate the fact that the United States Postal Service, like many agencies, is under fiscal constraints, their plans should not be so detrimental to the community,” Avella stated.

The U.S. Postal Service is considering a plan that would shut down the post office at its current location and move it to an annex the Postal Service has at 41-29 216th St., near the Lawrence Cemetery. Avella and residents are extremely concerned that this out of the way location will not be able to provide the same convenience as the current post office. The proposed location lacks the necessary parking and centralized location that the current post office has provided for decades.

Assemblymember Edward Braunstein stated, “The Bayside Post Office is centrally located near the Bayside LIRR station and the small businesses in the Bayside Village BID. These services are utilized daily by thousands of people, and this proposal would move the Post Office to a dead end street with no parking near the historic Lawrence Cemetery. For the Post Office to consider making such a drastic change without a public hearing is unacceptable to me and to my constituents. I strongly urge the Post Office to reconsider this short-sighted proposal.”

“The Bayside Post Office serves as a core piece of our community. For years, it has helped define our neighborhood’s identity and served people [of] all ages, races and creeds. Shutting it down is a short-sighted decision that will cost our community this critical institution. I am proud to again stand with Senator Avella, all our local elected officials, community leaders, merchants and residents in urging the U.S. Postal Service to rethink this foolish plan and to keep OUR community post office open,” stated Community Board 11 Chair Jerry Iannece.