Relocate Sebastopol Post Office

[Tars]

Does anyone here know if there're any plans, discussion, petitions, etc. to get the Sebastopol Post Office moved to a new location?

If there isn't any project of that nature currently happening, I'm thinking of following up on it on my own, or possibly getting a petition started. Perhaps this forum would be a good place to get that going.

Anyone who visits this post office branch knows that it causes frustration and has some potentially hazardous problems. The parking capacity is terrible. For this city of over 50,000 people, there are 7 parking spots in the lot, and a few more on the street. The lack of parking forces customers of the post office to park illegally, or circle the block until a spot opens up. These practices cause increased traffic congestion both on the main drag and on the side street.

We can do better than this, can't we? Perhaps all it needs is some judicious hassling of the USPS, so they'll get off their laggardly bureaucratic butts & get a new location opened up.


Tars
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[79paul]

Where would you see moving it TO??
There is a perfectly good parking lot across the street, although you may have to walk a block or two.There's a brand new crosswalk with big lights!! There must be 100 spaces, always room to park, except sometimes on Friday night when peoplke are going out to eat AND there's a play on at the Rep.
Whenever I go to town now, I try to park in one spot, then WALK to all the services I need in the downtown core. What I think we don't need is more parking spaces, but instead the incentive to get out of our cars, ride our bikes, meet our neighbors, discover a new business in town.
I have had a PO box now at our quaint little old post office for 16+ years, and I love it just the way it is....

[Tars]

Where would you see moving it TO??
I hadn't thought of a particular location. but there must be many far-better locations in Sebastopol, which would accomodate the full range of customers who use the postal office.


I have had a PO box now at our quaint little old post office for 16+ years, and I love it just the way it is....I really appreciated your post 79paul, and I agree with your sentiment. I too wish we could all live the small-town-park-once-cycle-to-the-post-office experience.

You presented a perspective on visiting that post office that is about 180 degrees out from what I experience. I envy the simplicity of your visits. I'm diametrically opposed in method (by necisity) of your proferred means of transportation to the post office. When I stop at the post office, as often as not I'm on my way to pick up 30 bales of hay, irrigation pipes, feed sacks, building lumber or whatever. I have a real problem navigating that area with my full-size ford pickup. It would be so cool if I could do my business on a bicycle! Between your method of transportation and mine there is a huge difference. Between us there is the full range of transportation types our post office, to survive, should accomodate.

Consider how the traffic problem exists around the post office now. If we don't make changes, how will it be in ten years? How many traffic injuries or fatalities will have occured at that intesection?

Our post office should be built to accomodate the full range of traffic that will use it during the next 40 years at least. The current facility was built how many years ago - 80? When it was built there were almost as many horse drawn visitors as automobile-carried. What will be the gamut of transportation methods in 40 years - hopefully a higher percentage of pedestrians, bicycles, horses. But there will most likely be a larger variety and total volume of motorized vehicles as well. Shouldn't we have a high-traffic-volume public facility which accomodates all?

Please, let's keep the current post office building. Let's turn it into an art gallery, tea shop, yoga studio, whatever. It'll be funky, and give the town charm. But at the same time let's also make our city better and more efficient. Let's reduce the already hazardous driving conditions on Sebastopol's main drag, by moving the post office to a more traffic-safe and less customer-frustrating location.

Forget about the parking. Yes we can accomodate as customers, as we already have been doing for these several decades. May I whine a little? It's geting increasingly difficult for me to climb steep steps, as are found at the current post office building. Yep, I can go the extra distance I guess, and use the ramped back door. In 15 years, what percentage of the population will have mobility issues? Is the cureent post office designed for them? Wouldn't we be better served to look forward to better accessibility?

I guess I could run on about why it's obvious the Sebastopol community needs to look forward regarding our post office facilities/location. It seems obvious that we need to change. Hopefully we can find solutions that will work well for the lucky walk/cycle-to-the-post office folks, and the work-a-day customers as well?

Tars

[pingpong]

For this city of over 50,000 people, there are 7 parking spots in the lot, and a few more on the street.

50,000 people?

[Vet-To-Pet]

Perhaps what is needed is a second branch of the Post Office, located someplace on the outskirts of town, where there would be room for more parking & larger vehicles to maneuver. The downtown PO serves the business district & many residents who prefer using post office boxes---they shouldn't have to be inconvenienced by closing the current office. Personally, the very few times that I've needed to go to the post office, I haven't had to park more than one-half block up the street, and I've never (even during the Holiday busy season) waited more than 15 minutes in line inside. Of course, the new Post Office might require a new/second zip code for Sebastopol, which might put many people through all sorts of emotional meltdowns, but that's the best idea i can come up with---I'm not a city planner, just a little animal doctor.
Smiles,
Paula (Vet-To-Pet)


I hadn't thought of a particular location. but there must be many far-better locations in Sebastopol, which would accomodate the full range of customers who use the postal office. ...

[Tars]

Perhaps what is needed is a second branch of the Post Office, located someplace on the outskirts of town, where there would be room for more parking & larger vehicles to maneuver.
That's exactly what the USPS did in Healdsburg - a town much smaller than Sebastopol, & without the horrendous traffic problems. They kept the old office with PO boxes & general business downtown. But they opened their another office, which is where all parcel pick-ups & drop-offs are done. They didn't have to add a zipcode to do it.

I'm curious what the traffic accident statistics are for that intersection around the Sebastopol PO. My impression is that it is one of the highest trafficed intersections in town. There're the cars hunting, or double-parked waiting for a parking space, pulling in and out of those spaces. Add to that a steady stream of pedestrian traffic. Add to that the traffic & pedestrian flow during mealtimes at the Grateful Bagel.

On the main drag right at that intersection there's the normal heavy flow of thru-town traffic heading south. It tends to start speeding up right about that point. There are also alot of lane changes as drivers merge right for Gravenstein Hwy south. Heh...I'm glad I haven't needed to use that crosswalk there - the one with the flashing pavement lights. I've seen more than once where distracted drivers blew right through the crosswalk while pedestrians were crossing.

I think your idea for a second post office has a lot of merit Vet to Pet. Anything to reduce the congestion there.

Tars

[Juggledude]

50,000 people?

from www.citydata.com

Population (year 2000): 7,774. Estimated population in July 2005: 7,598 (-2.3% change)
Males: 3,481 (44.8%), Females: 4,293 (55.2%)

I like the male / female ratio !

Royce

[Tars]

from www.citydata.com (https://www.citydata.com)

Population (year 2000): 7,774. Estimated population in July 2005: 7,598

Sebastopol has shrunk in population during those 5 years. Right. Heh...not in this universe. The only way that's correct, or even within magnitudes of correct, is if the city boundaries have constricted as far as maybe the high school, to Fircrest, to the post offrice. Then it might make sense. Of course it wouldn't take into account all the other tens of thousands who live within a couple of miles of Alice's Restaurant.

Or...maybe I'm just stoned 'r something. I based the 50k population number on a number I saw reported in a PD article. That was awhile back too, maybe a year - now I wish I'd had the prescience to save it. If it was in the PD it must be true. (ahem) I'll be driving past one of the "Entering Sebastopol" signs today - I'll see what that one says - anyone know? Don't know how recent that figure will be though.

[Shepherd]

Perhaps it is because I am old-fashioned and have used the PO where it is for years, but I like it there and would resist it moving. It is convenient in our town, which has in fact lost a few people in recent years, which is fine with me. The West County, on the other hand, does have about 50,000 people, according to the Chamber of Commerce. It would be a big, fruitless battle to try to move the PO, which ultimately would lose, in my opinion. Perhaps this energy could be redirected into something more important to our community with a greater possibility of success.
Shepherd

[Barry]

Population (year 2000): 7,774. Estimated population in July 2005: 7,598There's a big difference between Sebastopol proper (the city limits) and "Greater Sebastopol".

For instance I live outside the city limits, yet I can walk to downtown!

As the market center for much of West County, I think the 50,000 number is within reason. Although postal services is one aspect where this is not true, as I believe their are full service post offices in Graton, Forestville, and elsewhere.

[Tars]

This from the Sebastopol Chamber Of Commerce website:

https://www.sebastopol.org/Default.asp?page=30

POPULATION
Sebastopol (City Limits) 7,750
West County market area 50,000
Sonoma County 431,800

Not sure what the "West County Market Area" entails. But, I just noticed the "Entering Sebastopol" sign is across the stree from the Fircrest market. Those signs are usually placed at or very near the city limits. So functionally, there're whole swaths of the community of Sebastopol which may not technically be within the city limts.

However, as regards the post office, the 95472 Zipcode, served by the Sebastopol office, encompasses a much larger area & thousands of households. We're all trying to maneuver around that little old building to get our business done. Hope noone gets killed in the confusion.

I hope to pop into the Sebastopol Police Dept. to see if they have traffic statistics for that intersection. Also, I'll try to contact the Mayor's office & the USPS, to see if there're any projects in the works to alleviate the congestion.

Tars the anal retentive
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[rekarp]

From the US Census bureau website:

Estimated 2005 Sebastopol population: 7598