Benton Courier - Bryant has more postal complaints

Several residents’ complaints about the U.S. Postal Service’s Bryant location, its proposed renovation and related traffic problems were front and center at Monday night’s Bryant City Council meeting.
“As a resident, I have concerns with the U.S. Postal Service,” Ricky Tripp said.

“I always left the public meetings the council had with [postal service representatives] with disbelief, and I think most of us residents left those meetings shaking our heads.”
Years after Bryant officials and residents began trying to convince postal officials that Bryant either needs a new postal facility or a complete redesign of the current facility because of size and traffic safety issues, the USPS finally offered $650,000 on Sept. 28, 2007, for renovation plans.
However, at the Jan. 14 Bryant City Council meeting, several alderman questioned the redesign proposals sent to them and said the proposals were not the same that were shown to them on Sept. 28.
   “In my opinion, it looks like they sold us one thing and gave us something different,” said Debbie Broadway, who headed a committee seeking a new postal facility in Bryant. “The proposal that the mayor [Larry Mitchell] and [Alderman Rick] Meyer looked at for the redesign of the facility and what was submitted is not the same.”
   Tripp asked the council why Bryant is still considered a satellite postal facility of Benton, and why smaller cities such as Shannon Hills can have a new large postal facility built, but Bryant cannot. He also wanted to know why the USPS is clinging to the property that the current facility sits upon.
   “What interest does the USPS have with the piece of property at the current postal facility?” asked Tripp. “At those meetings we had with [the representatives of the USPS] we asked several times about moving that location or building a new facility somewhere else in the city, but they always say ‘No, we don’t want to do that’ even if that means them spending a lot more money renovating. Why don’t they want to come off that piece of property? Who owns that property and what is their vested interest in this decision with the USPS?”
   Council member Meyer also noted that the USPS offered four designs on Sept. 28 and one was picked out at that time, but the new plans sent recently were not the same.
   “They changed the plan,” said Meyer. “They bait-and-switched us.”
   One good thing about the current turn of events, Tripp said, is that now the council has time to look back over all the plans. He also said that the $650,000 would not help the current facility’s safety issues, and he doubts that renovations would serve the long-term needs of the city.
   Many residents said on Monday that their main concern with the current facility — even if it’s renovated — is safety, considering the heavy traffic flow in that area. The entrance to the current facility is on Reynolds Road, which is one of the busiest streets in Bryant, and the exit is onto Roya Lane, which is heavily used by both the Bryant Police Department and the Bryant Fire Department. The current renderings sent from the USPS do not show any changes with traffic flow from Reynolds Road or Roya Lane — which prompted the Bryant fire chief and police chief to speak to the council.
   “With increased traffic flow on Reynolds Road and Roya Lane, it is just a matter of time before an accident occurs with a vehicle ending up in that building,” said Fire Chief Randy Cox. “People are already trying to leave that facility and cross five lanes of traffic on one of the busiest roads in Bryant. That is an accident waiting to happen, and for the longest time I wouldn’t even let some of our trucks try to cross even with their lights and sirens on.”
Police Chief Tony Coffman also said that a few of his police cruisers have been involved in accidents on Reynolds Road while officers were using their sirens and lights. Both chiefs said that the traffic flow in and out of the current postal facility is dangerous, and with a newly renovated facility the problem will become worse.
   “If you add more traffic to Roya Lane and Reynolds Road and our emergency vehicles get hit with their lights and sirens on,” said Coffman, “how do you think things are going to be with the average citizen?”
   Meyer ended the discussion by proposing that they list the citizens’ and city leaders’ concerns and send them to the USPS Postmaster General John E. Potter.
   “I propose that we list all of our concerns that we have and take them back to Mr. Potter,” said Meyer. “We need to let him know our position and where we stand today with all of this. We need to slow this back down and get it right. I want to tell him that we are grateful for the $650,000, but we need to spend it wisely. We only get one shot at this and I want to make sure it is done right.”

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