QUEENS — Kew Gardens residents can breathe a sigh of relief as they will get to keep their post office for at least another five years.
After months of worry that the facility at 83-30 Austin St. would close once its lease expired on July 31, the United States Postal Service has renewed its rental agreement, which as of now expires in 2021, according to Rep. Grace Meng.
“The renewal of this lease is a relief for residents in Kew Gardens who had concerns about the future of this post office,” read a statement from Meng. “These residents said loud and clear that they wanted this facility to remain in their community.”
Meng pressured the USPS about the Kew Gardens facility in March, after local residents reached out to her and shared their concerns about the facility, which has been located there since 1951.
The new agreement was signed by the Postal Service and the landlord on Aug. 3, according to Meng.
Dominick Pistone, president of the Kew Gardens Civic Association, said in an email that he hoped elected officials would now work "on a long-term solution for our post office to avoid another last minute solution in 2021.”
It's not the first time that Kew Gardens residents have worried about their post office. For the past decade, local elected officials have been involved in renegotiating the facility's lease.
The most recent lease was also a five-year term, Meng said.
