Post office in AmCan saved

Napa Valley Register

American Canyon's post office will remain open after all, the U.S. Postal Service confirmed Thursday.

Citing the lack of acceptable alternatives for residents and sufficient revenues for the postal service from the branch, the modest American Canyon office will survive, a postal service spokesman said.
Had it closed, residents would have had to travel to Vallejo to reach the closest post office. “The decision that the district manager made was to retain it,” said Augustine Ruiz Jr., spokesman for Kim Fernandez, manager for the Bay Valley District in Oakland.

The office on Crawford Way was among hundreds of facilities the U.S. Postal Service considered closing this summer in order to make up for mounting deficits â€" now projected at $3 billion. The branch opened in 2001 on a spot the U.S. Postal Service leases from the city for $1 a year.
The news that the branch could close led city and county officials to lobby the U.S. Postal Service. City officials also contacted Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.

American Canyon Mayor Leon Garcia and Vice Mayor Don Callison said they were pleased with the news that their post office will be saved. So was Napa County Supervisor Keith Caldwell, who represents American Canyon.
“That's great news,” said Garcia, who praised Thompson's efforts to keep the branch open.

The post office, along with the city's own ZIP code, 94503, help give the city its own identity, Garcia said.

Callison noted that he sees people in line every time he drives by the branch. “I'm glad it's going to stay open,” Callison said. “It seems like it's a pretty busy post office.”

In a written statement issued Thursday, Thompson said, “The post office in American Canyon is very important to our community, and I'm extremely glad that it will not be forced to close because of budget reasons. I was in contact with the postal service throughout this process, and I'm glad that our community was able to get a good outcome.”

The branch â€" a white trailer with peeling paint â€" was first put to use in Los Angeles during the 1984 Summer Olympics. City officials and others have said repeatedly the city needs a bigger post office.

“I would paint it if they would let me,” Caldwell said.