Finally, Fort Greene can go postal again.
The Pratt Station post office on Myrtle Avenue reopened recently this week after a 14-month shutdown for repairs that were supposed to take only two months.
“I just kept thinking, ‘Are they going to reopen or not?’ It was becoming really inconvenient,” said Cynthia Greene, one of a handful of elected officials and residents who celebrated a “grand re-opening” on Monday. “But today, I’m really happy.”
Until the office at Grand Avenue actually re-opened, people had to use a mobile mail truck parked outside the shuttered building, often waiting in long lines during rain, snow or sleet.
The trouble began in March, 2010, when postal officials shuttered Pratt Station for emergency repairs, including floors that buckled and separated from the walls. Workers said the office would re-open quickly, but a dispute with the landlord kept it closed.
Rep. Ed Towns (D–Fort Greene) credited agitated locals with the save.
“The only way to solve this problem was to get it open,” said Towns, who said he fielded numerous complaints from irate constituents. “The community pressure has a lot to do with us being here today.”
