Proposed Transfer of Postal Activities from Seapines Station to Atlantic Station in Virginia Beach, VA

GAO was asked to review Postal Service plans to close Seapines Station in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to determine: (1) the justification for the proposed closing and its impact on postal patrons; and (2) whether the Postal Service had considered any sites other than the Atlantic Station in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to consolidate postal operations and services.

The review disclosed that the problems expected to be solved by closing Seapines either no longer existed or would have been made worse by the proposed closing. GAO found that workroom space at Seapines had been made adequate by a change in layout and that customer and employee parking would have continued to be short at Atlantic. In the event of consolidation: (1) the number of spaces for customer parking will be increased from 12 to 20, and customers would be allowed to park in reserved spaces during the time the carriers are delivering the mail; and (2) consideration will be given to acquiring an adjacent lot or other suitable land in the vicinity of Atlantic Station to provide employee parking. To lessen the impact that the consolidation will have on the availability of services, the Postal Service should provide lockboxes, and a self-service facility in the Seapines area. The Postal Service should also study customer waiting times at Atlantic to make sure that planned window service will be adequate during the tourist season. These steps should greatly reduce the potential adverse effects the consolidation may have on postal customers. However, customer parking spaces at Atlantic would still be less than required by Postal Service standards when the carriers return to the station. In addition, the consolidation may not result in the desired savings if additional land is acquired for employee parking and the data on customer waiting times do not justify reducing the number of window clerks.