Real Estate

Post Office Reaffirms Commitment to Serving New Canaan

The US Post Office reaffirmed its commitment to servicing the town and people of New Canaan Monday after some confusion during the Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday morning in which their desire to remain in town was questioned.

"For some reason the assumption was made the Post Office was no longer committed to keeping postal operations in New Canaan," said Christine Dugas, spokesperson for USPS Corporate Communications, during a phone interview Tuesday. "This is false. While doing our due diligence in investigating a few sites we had been interested in in town, particularly the location at 19 Vitti Street, we determined it would not provide the necessary number of windows (meaning counter space for serving) for our customers in New Canaan. We will continue to identify potential long-term solutions at sites in New Canaan. The fact that one location was determined not to work does not mean other locations will not work."

While the Post Office looks for a new location suitable for permanent "postalizing," or being turned into a viable office that could meet all their needs and necessities, they continue to work on short-term solutions as well, including the possibility of working out of a trailer in the meantime.

First Selectman Robert Mallozzi III said the Post Office had expressed that particular interest to the town to see if there was an option for hosting a trailer on park land, but so far, he was uncertain if there was a properly zoned area where that would be able to take place.

"They're still working on it because we're not sure if they can operate out of park zones, it's a tough request," he said. "But the town is doing everything it can and following up on every opportunity to make sure we find a permanent solution for the post office here. But they are actively working with private landlords as well to find a short-term solution and that says to me they are still very interested in continuing operations in town."

The confusion was caused when a real estate agent who had been working with the post office to find a solution in New Canaan declared Tuesday morning that he was uncertain about the organizations intention to continue operations after shooting down the Vitti Street location Office officials had been scouting. To make certain there was no further confusion, Dugas also offered the following written statement by email shortly after a phone interview with her:

"It has come to the attention of the Postal Service that there is some concern about our commitment to keep postal operations in the New Canaan community as we proceed with due diligence on specific sites, such as the site at 19 Vitti Street. As the community has indicated, we are committed to serving the New Canaan in the downtown area.

"Upon further consideration, the Vitti Street location cannot be configured to accommodate the number of work stations we need to service our customers here. We continue to search for both an appropriate location for a short-term trailer to be positioned until a long-term location can secured and upgraded for postal purposes. Concerns that we have backed out of our commitment to New Canaan are ill-informed."


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