Wyandotte Post Office Set to Close in June

Come June, Wyandotte will no longer have its own post office.

Mayor Joseph Peterson made the announcement at the end of Monday night’s city council meeting.

“Not having a satellite office in this city would be devastating,” Peterson said, as he urged residents to write letters in protest of the move.

According to a restructuring and cost savings plan, the Wyandotte and Riverview post offices will close and will operate out of the Southgate post office.

The federal government rents the building that houses , Peterson said. With that lease coming up in June, officials opted not to renew it.

Peterson said he understands the financial savings that could come with ending the lease, but said he imagined the office would simply move to another spot in Wyandotte, not close entirely.

“I don’t know what’s next,” he said. “When does the bleeding stop? … We need to stand up and fight.”

Wyandotte Postmaster Michael Taurence confirmed the closure plans, but said nothing is written in stone.

"There is nothing totally definite yet," he said. "This is all in the planning stages. There is still nothing that has come down and said this is a go. ... The savings may not qualify right now. It may end up being put on the side for awhile."

Peterson said he plans to offer postal officials the option of setting up a small mailing center inside the new Wyandotte City Hall once it moves across the street from its and into . The move is

Taurence said he likes Peterson's idea, but acknowledged those decisions "are over my head and out of my control."

"Mr. Peterson has already taken some avenues to address it and he'll likely get a quicker response than I would have," Taurence said. "I know right now, there is no plan to have a presence in Wyandotte because that is a concern of mine as well."

Wyandotte officials issued a statement Tuesday morning on the city's Facebook page:

"We have had a post office presence in the city since 1855–12 years prior to our incorporation as a city in 1867," it reads. "The Wyandotte Post Office brings thousands of people to our downtown and offers an invaluable service to the citizens of our community."

Those wishing to write letters on the issue are encouraged to contact:

The Honorable Patrick R. Donahoe
Postmaster General and CEO
United States Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza SW
Washington, DC 20260

Congressman Hansen Clarke
400 Monroe St., Suite 290
Detroit, MI 48226
313-962-7700
or in Washington at
Congressman Hansen Clarke
1319 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515