Old Redford Post Office in Detroit won't close in September

A day after the U.S. Postmaster General announced a suspension of cost-cutting efforts nationwide, the agency announced Wednesday the Old Redford Post Office in Detroit will remain open in its current location instead of closing next month.

The post office, at 22503 Grand River Ave., had been slated to shut down Sept. 1, and, while the agency said it had made "no final decision" to permanently shut it down, it also did not give a timeline for when it would reopen — or be relocated.

A spokeswoman for the post office added she could not clarify whether the latest decision was connected to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's comments Tuesday. The reason for the closure, the agency said earlier this month, was related to lease negotiations.

On Wednesday, the U.S.  Postal Service said it had "reached an agreement with the property owner" and would continue retail operations on a month-to-month basis until the agency made a more permanent decision about what to do.

"We will continue to reach out to the community to explain our plans and solicit comments," Donald Dombrow, the post office's officer-in-charge, said. "We are confident we will continue to provide effective and regular delivery and retail services to our customers in the Old Redford 48219 area."

Political tensions over the post office have been mounting for months, especially during the pandemic.

And it recently has become a lightning rod. President Donald Trump's outbursts about mail-in ballots and announced cuts by his newly installed postmaster general have fueled outrage and questions about what the Postal Service is doing — and how it would affect the upcoming election.

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DeJoy backed away from his reforms Tuesday as several of Michigan's members of Congress — including one who called him a called "partisan hack" intent on disrupting the November election — sought his resignation and demanded that his efforts be reversed.

It did not appear from his statement that moves already in place — such as the removal of blue collection boxes and hundreds of sorting machines in post offices throughout the nation, including a dozen in Michigan — would be undone.

The House aims to vote as early as Saturday on a plan to provide  the Postal Service with $25 billion in funding.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.