Cohen Sends Letter to Postmaster General Urging Him to Keep Memphis Area Post Offices Open

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) recently sent a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe urging him to keep six Memphis area post offices open for business considering how important they are to the local community. The six post offices are under review for possible closure. Below and attached is Congressman Cohen’s letter:

The Honorable Patrick Donahoe
Postmaster General
U.S. Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, D.C. 20260
Dear Postmaster General Donahoe,

It has recently come to my attention that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering closing six postal operations in the region of Memphis, Tennessee. The facilities under review are the Hollywood Station, Lamar Station, Peabody Place Postal Retail Center Station, Mallory Station, Frayser and the Naval Air Station in Millington. I strongly object to the inclusion of these facilities on the list to be closed and recommend that they remain open.

I appreciate USPS’s attempt to reduce costs but closing facilities in my congressional district would come at the expense of people who regularly depend on these services. Many of the postal facilities under review are in areas with a high minority population. I am also worried about the potential elimination of jobs. During a time when Americans are struggling to make ends meet, the threat of further job losses makes this prospect more troublesome in this economic climate.

The elimination of the Peabody Postal Retail Station would affect the downtown business district in Memphis. It is the only post office on Main Street in the heart of the business and financial center of our thriving, resurgent downtown community. It is my belief that a retail post office in the core of downtown is absolutely essential to the continued revitalization of the center city. It would be a great disservice to all the residents and businesses within downtown if the USPS closed this particular facility.

The community heavily relies on the USPS and access to services to buy stamps and send packages. Many people in the community have limited transportation and walk to the post office. Many residents in these communities are elderly and depend upon the proximity of these stations to send mail and packages. They have a tradition of using the USPS and do not have access to a computer to use email or social media websites. Closure of these post offices would create an extreme hardship to the elderly and disabled.

As the USPS completes studies to determine which locations require closing, I hope these concerns are kept in mind. I plan to visit each postal facility under review as I did the last time the notifications of postal closures were announced. Savings can be achieved without closing postal facilities that are important to the community. Again, I strongly urge for the Hollywood Station, Lamar Station, Peabody Place Postal Retail Center Station, Mallory Station, Frayser and the Naval Air Station to remain open and be removed from the list of facilities to be reviewed for closure.

As always, I remain,

Most sincerely,


Steve Cohen
Member of Congress

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