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News & Features
From the Idyllwild Town Crier weekly newspaper, 8.19.2010 edition.
Pine Cove PO'd
By Carey Powers, News
Intern
The inconvenience but inevitability of the Pine Cove Post Office
closure was the subject of a special meeting of the Pine Cove Property
Owner’s Association (PCPOA) Saturday, Aug. 14. Languid unity dominated
the crowd since few solutions or strategies seemed to overcome the
common roadblock of sparse government money and a suspended business
contract.
As member Leigh Salgren said, perhaps best summarizing one intent of
the Saturday meeting, “Can we as a community put together something
that could possibly change the Postmaster General’s mind?”
The Pine Cove Market, which had a contract for the Pine Cove Post
Office, is now under receivership, which mens the property was placed
in the custodial responsibility of another owner. Due to the Postal
Service’s tight budget and the lack of renovation at the facility, the
Postal Service decided against renewing the contract with new owner
Ahmed Aly.
However laden with inventive and viable alternatives, the meeting
commenced and ended with the bitter truth that nobody had received word
back after writing statements and a letter to Representative Mary Bono
Mack, County Supervisor Jeff Stone, local Postmaster Kelly Gates, and
Postmaster General John Potter. It was concluded that nothing could be
done with so little communication.
In a letter PCPOA president Annamarie Padula passionately wrote and
futilely sent, she spoke of two issues:
First, the elderly population of Pine Cove needs adequate access and
transportation to their moved post office box. Because of the far
journey into town, most significantly during winter, when many
residents are snowbound or are reticent to drive, the elderly and the
retired may not receive important mail such as retirement checks or
bills. Gates acknowledged the problem and said two keys would be issued
to each resident. The second could be used by a friend or neighbor with
transportation.
The second concern was the impact 200 more cars would have on the
available parking outside the Idyllwild Post Office and at surrounding
businesses. As Padula wrote in her letter, the post office shares the
parking lot with “a pharmacy, hairdresser, pizza parlor, deli shop,
video and health food store, dance studio and fitness facilities.”
Aly, the market’s new owner, recognized that the market may also be in
dire straits due to the closure of the Pine Cove Post Office. At the
meeting, when confronted with the possibility, he sadly nodded his head
in realization. Though he is willing to take over the post office, the
Postal Service, again due to steep budget cuts, will not renew the
contract.
Gates, in a separate interview, said that the Idyllwild Post Office is
also a strong place for community-building.
“I hope that the community [at Pine Cove] continues here,” she said.
Along with ensuring no new changes of address, Gates would, on Aug. 25,
be issuing keys at a special table inside the Idyllwild Post Office.
“It’s all about the money,” PCPOA member Sallie Warwick repeatedly
said, “and the fact remains that we don’t have a contract.”
Padula, visibly unsatisfied with the abundance of rumors and lack of
government communication, resoundingly concluded, “We’ve done as much
as we can do.”
Carey Powers can be
reached at carey@towncrier.com.
Last Saturday, Pine Cove residents held an
open air meeting to discuss the inconvenience of the Pine Cove Post
Office closure. Annamarie
Padula, Pine Cove Property
Owner Association president, waved her letter during the session.
Photo by Carey Powers
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