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Downtown Raleigh post office given reprieve from closing

A historic post office in downtown Raleigh will stay open for at least two more months, Mayor Charles Meeker said Tuesday.

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Century Postal Station in downtown Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. — A historic post office in downtown Raleigh will stay open for at least two more months, Mayor Charles Meeker said Tuesday.

The U.S. Postal Service had slated the Century Postal Station, a 134-year-old facility in the restored Federal Building at Fayetteville and Martin streets, to close on July 15. Instead, it will stay open until Sept. 15 while new arrangements are tried out.

Two issues with the post office had been troubles with bulk mail pickup and parking, Meeker said.

The federal bankruptcy court has agreed to stop blocking the back parking lot of the post office for security reasons, he said. The court will open the parking for bulk mail pickup 7-9 a.m. every day.

The city will increase the 15-minute parking spots in front of the post office from four to 12, the mayor said. The City Council will likely approve that change in a few weeks.

Based on the changes, the U.S. Postal Service will re-evaluate its decision to close the post office in late August, Meeker said.

Postal officials had cited declines in mail volume as the reason for the closure. The postal service planned to move the Century office's operations to its facility on New Bern Avenue.

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