On Feb. 28, Hyattsville Mayor Robert Croslin and other city staff members met with the local postmaster to address Hyattsville residents’ continued complaints about local mail service, both service at the Gallatin Street post office branch and home delivery concerns.

“The postmaster thanked us for the information that came from our community and, despite the lack of personnel, pledged to correct the problems that were highlighted,” Croslin wrote in a March 1 email to the HOPE (Hyattsville Organization for a Positive Environment) listserv.

Residents shared their concerns on the listserv in advance of the meeting. Many residents said they had experienced poor service at the post office branch on Gallatin Street, including finding it unexpectedly closed in the middle of the day, being unable to pay with cash or purchase basic supplies like stamps, and encountering rudeness from counter workers. 

Residents also noted their appreciation of the post office building, which is on the  National Registry of Historic Places, as well as of its downtown location, expressing a desire to see the post office remain open — just with improved service and staffing. 

Councilmember Danny Schaible (Ward 2), who attended the meeting, wrote in a March 1 listserv post that the postmaster had been unaware of the unscheduled and unpredictable closing of the post office, which was not approved.

Many residents also expressed concerns about mail delivery, complaining of missing and misdelivered mail and late deliveries. According to Schaible, the postmaster said that all the mail which comes in each day gets delivered that day, even if it is later than residents would like.

“Locally, I hope our meeting will serve as a course correction and result in improved service and delivery,” Schaible wrote.