It’s no secret , the United States Postal Service is in trouble and has been for quite some time.
With the emergence of the Internet, consumers no longer have to rely on the service to deliver their mail.
Now, the agency is thinking about closing 36 hundred of its retail outlets --one of which is really hitting home for some Philadelphians.
The B. Free Franklin Post Office is located in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood. It sits in a house that was once owned by Benjamin Franklin, the country's first postmaster general. The building is so old it predates the American Colonies.
The historic post office even has a postal museum on the top floor.
On Tuesday, the postal service announced that this historical location is on the list of outlets that may get the boot.
Already limited in its service, the B. Free deals with sells and small parcels -- they don't handle packages, certified mail or confirmations.
This week is not the first time the postal agency has talked about closing a portion of its offices and it may not be the last. To date, the agency has lost billions of dollars in revenue. They've been forced to close six thousand offices within the past decade and they've reduced their workforce by 130 thousand people.
The postal service says this new round of cuts will free up $200 million a year and the outlets will be replaced with “village post offices” located in businesses, town halls or community centers.
The postal service will spend at least four months evaluating each post office. Anyone who objects to a closing has 60 days to submit comments. After that, the service will review the comments and will make a decision.
If the postal service decides to close the B. Free Franklin post office, the National Park Service says the museum will remain open.
