Press Release from Congressman Jose E. Serrano
Washington, DC – January 14, 2014 – Congressman José E. Serrano explained today that multiple provisions included in the omnibus appropriations bill unveiled last night urged the U.S. Postal Service to halt sales of historic post office buildings. One provision tells the USPS to wait on sales until after the release of a pending Inspector General report on their legality. The other provision directs the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to issue a report on ensure the USPS follows the law in its sales of historic properties.
The Inspector General report, requested by Rep. Serrano, will also examine whether the USPS is following applicable historic preservation laws in their historic building sales procedures and whether they have solicited sufficient public input in this process. Many feel that the laws have been skirted in these sales.
“The language in the omnibus appropriations bill is clear: the USPS needs to put sales of historic Post Offices on hold while we wait to see what the Inspector General’s report and the ACHP reports say,” said Congressman Serrano. “I believe that these sales have been conducted in a manner that does not fully comply with federal historic preservation laws. I understand the USPS has a serious revenue problem and is trying desperately to bring costs in line with outlays, but selling off historic properties to the highest bidder without following the appropriate procedures is completely unacceptable. I expect the USPS to immediately halt all pending sales and comply with the legislative language included in the omnibus bill.”
Here is the text from the bill:
The Committee is concerned by reports that the Postal Service is attempting to sell off many of its historic properties without regard for the preservation of these buildings. The Committee is particularly concerned that the Postal Service may not be following Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in the relocation and sales process of these historic properties. The Committee notes that the Office of the Inspector General is currently conducting an investigation into whether the Postal Service is complying with its statutory and regulatory requirements in the relocation of services, closure, and sale of these types of properties. Until such an analysis is complete, the Committee believes the Postal Service should refrain from the relocation of services from historic post offices, and believes the Postal Service should suspend the sale of any historic post office.
Nothing will stop me and my hubby from selling postal properties and making our billion $$$ cut from the sales!
Most of these “historic” buildings are death traps, full of asbestosis and not up to any modern safety standards. Forget selling them, roll in the bulldozers and save lives before disaster strikes. Stop exempting these buildings from state and local safety standards. They are playing with peoples lives to “feel good”.
Did the USPS ever purchase these buildings from the tax payers? If not,isn’t this a tax payer bailout?
Can’t eat that old brick and crumbly mortar, but the cash will put it on the table !
There is connections in congress that is making this happen. A congresswoman’s husband is loving her clout to make this happen. What company that wants to exist runs it into the ground even though it could make it grow. If the company files bankruptcy you not only get rid of the union but you get to pay your brass big bucks by paying it’s workforce peanuts. This is walmart’s blueprint.