Letter to the Hon. Megan Brennan, Postmaster General and CEO of the United States Postal Service - As Warwick's booming "Tech Park" looks to reopen & create hundreds of jobs, ongoing USPS issues hinder momentum; Schumer urges USPS to immediately step in, address delivery issues & help Warwick businesses grow and deliver more jobs

Letter

Dear Postmaster General Brennan,

I write on behalf of the businesses and residents in the Town of Warwick regarding the accessibility of the current mail drop-off point for property and businesses owners located on State School Road and John Hicks Drive at the Warwick Valley Office and Technology Park in Warwick, New York. According to local officials, roughly fifteen businesses within the Tech Park have recently faced persistent delays and further challenges in receiving mail and packages delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS). I urge USPS to meet with the impacted businesses in the Tech Park and local officials to expeditiously address issues impacting mail services that are inhibiting economic growth throughout the region.

In recent years, economic development in Warwick has boomed through the purchase and redevelopment of the 726-acre former Mid-Orange Correctional Facility that was converted into the Warwick Tech Park. The goal of preserving the state prison site and creating the Tech Park was to create hundreds of new jobs and economic development opportunities in Warwick. Several business owners have already purchased property and begun construction at the Tech Park site. For example, the former prison site is now home to an incubator space for companies in the burgeoning CBD oil industry, the Hudson Sports Complex, the Citiva Company's medical marijuana facility and more. However, as businesses continue to buy parcels and attempt to open their doors for operation, it has been brought to my attention that the postal service has not adapted its services to fit the growing needs of Warwick business owners and residents.

Specifically, I have been informed that USPS is presently dropping off all packages, for roughly fifteen businesses, at a single entrance to the Tech Park, inhibiting employees from obtaining critical equipment, financial information, medical documents, and other important and costly items in a secure and timely manner. Furthermore, some business owners have expressed that these persistent mail issues may impact their businesses' opening because additional labor is needed to obtain materials for construction and operation at the Tech Park.

Even more troubling, a number of written requests from the community to the local postmaster for a collaborative solution for package delivery and mail pick-up have gone unanswered. Businesses within the Tech Park, located on public roads, need a solution to this problem. I urge the USPS to answer the requests of the community and business owners and quickly meet with all impacted businesses to begin working with them to establish a mutually acceptable, long-term solution for package delivery and mail drop-off.

Given the importance of access to reliable mail and package delivery to the long-term economic growth of businesses within the Warwick Tech Park, I encourage the USPS to quickly address this issue and immediately work to reassess mail delivery to meet the needs of business owners and the Town of Warwick. Thank you for your attention to this important request.

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