FOLLOWING ABRUPT CLOSURE OF THE RIFTON POST OFFICE, CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN DEMANDS ANSWERS ON REOPENING PLAN

Following Abrupt Closure of the Rifton Post Office, Congressman Pat Ryan Demands Answers on Reopening Plan 

Rifton residents were given only a 30-day notice of post office’s closure and relocation of services to Tillson Post Office; no information has been provided on reopening timeline  

Ryan previously led a coalition to successfully reopen the Westbrookville Post Office 

WASHINGTON, DC  –  Today, Congressman Pat Ryan wrote to United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to demand answers on the reopening timeline following the abrupt closure of the Rifton Post Office. Rifton residents were given only a 30-day notice that the Rifton Post Office would be closing on April 5, 2024 due to a safety hazard on the leased property where the Office is located. USPS services, including the location of all P.O. boxes, were transferred to the Tillson Post Office. Residents were not given further explanation regarding the safety hazard, or a reopening plan or timeline for the Rifton location. The relocation of services has placed a strain on the daily lives of Rifton residents, including seniors who rely on the Rifton location for mailed medications and for residents without internet access who rely on postal services for communications like bills and notices. 

“Abrupt closures are more than inconveniences to daily routines – seniors don’t get medications on time, crucial bills get misdelivered, packages get returned. I’m demanding that Postmaster DeJoy immediately provide answers as to when the Rifton Post Office will reopen,” said Congressman Ryan. “Rifton families aren’t asking for anything unreasonable, just the transparency and respectful customer service they deserve. I’ll keep pushing for answers to ensure that the Rifton community has the services the USPS promised them.”

“The USPS should communicate with the local municipality before implementing such sudden and disorienting changes,” said Danielle Freer, Town of Esopus Supervisor. “This collaborative approach would allow us to provide solutions that would minimize the impact on our residents or, at the very least, help us to have the information needed to keep them well-informed. Currently, our residents are being forced to travel to another town to collect their mail, which not only interrupts their daily routines as Congressman Ryan pointed out, but also adds unexpected fuel costs at a time when people are really struggling to make ends meet.”

“The APWU workers at the Rifton Post Office, NY, have a long history of dedication and service to the amazing community and businesses of Rifton,” said Edward Horvers, American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Kingston Local 4770 Representative. “It is disheartening to experience the negative impacts of losing their identity due to the unexpected closure and relocation of the only mail delivery facility for the Rifton community to a completely different township.  Local temporary solutions to keep the Rifton Post Office with the Rifton delivery area are going unanswered by the USPS.  The APWU has been working with the Town of Esopus, which Rifton resides in their jurisdiction.  We, the APWU, have and continue to show support for all the people of Rifton to keep their Post Office open and operating far into the future and generations to come.”

In June of 2023, when the Westbrookville Post Office closed with only 24-hours notice, Congressman Ryan launched a campaign with a coalition of local advocates and officials, leading to the Post Office’s successful reopening in November of 2023.

A copy of Ryan’s letter to Postmaster General DeJoy appears below:

Dear Postmaster DeJoy, 

I am writing to you today with an urgent and pressing matter. My constituents in Rifton, New York, are in desperate need of the reliable and accessible services of the United States Postal Service (USPS). They are eagerly awaiting a tentative reopening date for the Rifton, New York Postal Office. The lack of transparency and customer service regarding this closing is frankly appalling. It has disrupted my constituent's daily routines and forced them to travel to the Tillson Post Office for USPS services. This situation demands your immediate attention.  

On March 6, 2024, the Rifton Postmaster informed customers that the Rifton office would be suspended on April 5, 2024, due to a safety hazard at the leased property where the office is located. This decision, which involved moving all P.O. boxes to Tillson, New York, has had a profound negative impact on the surrounding community of Rifton. This move has dramatically affected many seniors who rely on the Post Office to receive medications. The 30-day notice period was insufficient for residents to make alternative arrangements, and this has caused significant strain and inconvenience. 

My constituents appreciate the need to immediately remove any safety hazards, but that’s not an excuse to leave the community without so much as a reopening date and abandon all customer service. They are hopeful that you can work with the landlord to provide them with timely and transparent information. The lack of transparency and customer service in this situation has caused great frustration amongst the community. My constituents in Rifton deserve better service than what is being provided, and they trust that you will do your best to address this issue. 

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to working together to reopen the Rifton Post Office for business.

Sincerely, 

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