Editor's Notebook

The Town of Potomac Still Exists!

Proving a long-extinct municipality is still honored by the U.S. Postal Service—with a little help from my friends.

For reasons I cannot fully articulate, the U.S. Postal Service still manages to carry some intrigue. The sending and receiving of letters with the help of a carrying service remains a bit mystical, even if I see postal workers nearly every day. It’s also nice to see your name written in someone else’s handwriting arrive at your doorstep every now and again—if only for the accompanying tug of nostalgia for a time when email didn’t exist and long-distance calls could run a decent charge from Ma Bell. While researching the Town of Potomac, Va., for a recent story, I stumbled upon a suggestion that the postal service still honors the municipality as an alternate address for Del Ray’s 22301 ZIP code. Potomac was an incorporated town from 1908 …

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Saturday Mail Delivery to End, Postal Service Announces

The U.S. Postal Service announced it will end Saturday mail delivery by Aug. 1. Speak out: How will this affect you?

Calling the six-days-per-week mail delivery business model “no longer sustainable,” the U.S. Postal Service Wednesday morning announced it will eliminate Saturday delivery of mail by Aug. 1. The plan to change delivery from six days a week to five would only affect first-class mail. Packages, mail-order medicines, priority and express mail would still be delivered on Saturdays, and local post offices will remain open for business Saturdays. According to the U.S. Postal Service, the reasons are continued economic struggles and the increasing use of the Internet for communications and bill paying by consumers. The U.S. Postal Service is also the only federal agency required to pre-fund health benefits for retirees, and those costs are …

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Price of Stamps Increases Sunday

The price to mail a standard letter will be 46 cents.

by Alexandria Patch Staff The price to mail a letter or your bills will go up to 46 cents Sunday. The U.S. Postal Service will also introduce its Global Forever Stamp which will allow customers to mail letters anywhere in the world for one set price of $1.10. USPS first announced the price changes in October. The new price is a penny increase from the previous price. Forever stamps, which you can buy at current prices (Friday and Saturday) are always good for mailing a one-ounce letter anytime in the future regardless of price changes. The price increase comes as the U.S. Postal Service continues to search for ways to diversify its business model, reign in legacy costs for retired postal workers and still provide service. Eliminating …

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USPS: Dogs Attacked Seven Mail Carriers in Alexandria Area

U.S. Postal Service officials say three mail carriers were injured in dog attacks this month.

Dog owners who allow their pets to roam free when the weather is warm have caused major problems for some mail carriers. In Northern Virginia, three postal workers were injured by dog bites in the last two weeks, said Patrick Murphy, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service. In the past year, there have been seven dog-mail carrier incidents in areas with "Alexandria, Va." mailing addresses. Two postal workers are employed at the Trade Center location on South Pickett Street in West Alexandria, two are at the Community location on Richmond Highway near Hybla Valley, one works at the Memorial location in Old Town, one works at Engleside in Mount Vernon and one works in Franconia. Two dogs at a home in the Alexandria area bit one postal worker…

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Council Wants to Save City's Targeted Post Offices

Mayor Bill Euille will draft a letter to the U.S. Postal Service and Alexandria's Congressional delegation expressing council's desire to keep Mt. Vernon Avenue and Seminary Road offices open.

Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille will draft a letter to the U.S. Postal Service and the city’s Congressional delegation emphasizing the City Council’s desire to keep open two city post offices under review for closure. The council moved to create the letter at its legislative meeting Tuesday night. Council’s discussion of the two Alexandria post offices—Potomac Station in Del Ray and the Seminary Road location in the Virginia Theological Seminary—came on the same day USPS decided to delay the closure of targeted post offices until Congress passes legislation to rework the agency. The fate of the two Alexandria offices was supposed to be announced by the end of the year. Now USPS has pushed those decisions to May 15 at the earliest. In July, …

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City Council to Discuss Potential Post Office Closures

Virginia manager of postal operations taking comments on Potomac Station and others until Wednesday.

The Alexandria City Council will discuss the potential closure of two post offices at its Tuesday night meeting, including Potomac Station on Mt. Vernon Avenue. Potomac Station is under review because it falls under criteria for evaluation by the U.S. Postal Service as it attempts to scale back its retail network to cut costs. Specifically, the Del Ray post office is being considered for closure because it makes less than $600,000 in annual revenue and five or more “access points”—places that sell stamps or provide postal services—exist within two miles of the office, according to Dennis Voorhees, manager of postal operations in Virginia. A larger post office is located just a mile away from Potomac Station at 1100 Wythe Street. Voorhees …

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Citizens Argue Post Office is 'Fundamental' Component of Del Ray

U.S. Postal Service hosts community meeting to discuss concerns of potential closure of Potomac Station.

Approximately 20 citizens expressed a wide variety of concerns about the potential closure of the Mt. Vernon Avenue post office at a community meeting held by the U.S. Postal Service Wednesday night at George Washington Middle School. Potomac Station is under review because it falls under criteria for evaluation by USPS as it attempts to scale back its retail network to cut costs. Specifically, the Del Ray post office is being considered for closure because it makes less than $600,000 in annual revenue and five or more “access points” exist within two miles of the office, according to Dennis Voorhees, manager of postal operations in Virginia. Access points were described as places that sell stamps or provide postal services, such as a bank…

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Facebook Page Pops Up in Support of Del Ray Post Office

Organizers asking for video testimonials.

A new Facebook page is giving citizens the opportunity to show support for the Mt. Vernon Avenue post office currently under review for potential closure. Organizers of the Facebook page titled “Keep The Post Office in Del Ray” are asking citizens to volunteer for video testimonials where they can talk about what they like about the post office located at 1908 Mt. Vernon Avenue. The page also contains links to articles about the decision of the U.S. Postal Service to review approximately 3,700 offices around the country.  As of Tuesday afternoon, the page had been liked by 48 Facebook users. In a release sent out in July, USPS said it is “right-sizing its expansive retail network” of nearly 32,000 offices because the need for many …

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