Linda Patrick and Rick McComber were informed yesterday that new 
Northeast 
Station on Joyce Street wouldn't be allowed to be opened (window 
service 
only) because of "budget constraints."  Perhaps at beginning of new FY 
year 
(October), Rick reported, that they'll be able to open.

Fayetteville postal management, naturally, is upset over the 
deal.....as is 
the workforce and the customers WILL be.  Customers are already 
depositing 
mail at the facility unaware that it's not even open, Rick reported.  
He 
collected mail on the floor of the new building where customers had 
placed 
them in slots that had no containers to receive them.

Meanwhile, the clerks which bid on the new jobs and won them will be 
left in 
place until such time as the building opens.  Local management is 
trying 
their best to see things run correctly, but it seems that LR and Dallas 
are 
stifling their efforts.  The only recourse will be when customers 
(businesses 
& individual) learn of the debacle.

One possible good side to this story.....  When the facility finally 
does 
open up, we may be fully prepared and hit the ground running.  At least 
we do 
know that Fayetteville's new facility, the first (customer service) one it's had in 37 
years, 
will eventually open.  The rumor that it wouldn't be open in the next 
FY 
(fiscal year) is unfounded.  The station will be open in either late 
September or early October.  Meanwhile, the carriers (72703) could be 
transferred to the new facility depending on management's final 
decision on 
that issue.  There is debate whether it would be beneficial to move 
carriers 
right away or leave them where they are.  Rick indicated to me he is 
prone to 
believe it would be advantageous to go ahead and move them now so that 
when 
the facility is fully open to the public, it won't be so much confusion 
with 
so many things going on at once.  The other side of the coin would be 
that 
customers will see the carriers and assume the facility is open for 
business, 
and thus would find the doors locked.  However they work it out, I told 
Rick 
that we'd do our best to cooperate and help in any way we can.  We 
realize 
it's not our local managers who are messing up.  USPS knew 3 years ago 
that 
they'd be opening up a new station in Fayetteville that had been 
anxiously 
waiting for decades.  But obviously they didn't put it in the budget to 
staff 
it!  Go figure.

I'd appreciate your input on how to work out the problem of our clerks 
/ 
maintenance being put in a holding pattern on their jobs.  Please 
e-mail me 
or see me.