By Bill Riccio, Jr.
Voice Editor

State officials along with representatives of two Senators and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro will attend a rally planned for Tuesday evening in hopes of keeping a busy postal outlet from the federal chopping block.

The Save the Baybrook Post Office Committee has planned a public rally and demonstration for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Bailey Middle School. The committee is taking action to prevent postal officials from closing the office, located at the Baybrook Shopping Center. Federal officials put the office on its list of potential closures in hopes of closing a billion dollar budget gap expected for the next two fiscal years.

The rally Tuesday is the latest, according to group spokeswoman Councilwoman Gail Burns (D-10). In the summer the group circulated a petition, which collected more than 3,100 signatures.

According to Burns, representatives of Sens. Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman will be on hand as will a representative from DeLauro’s office. State Sens. Gayle Slossberg and Richard Roy have said they will attend the rally, as will former Speaker of the House James Amann. Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Attorney-General Richard Blumenthal were sent invitations.

“We hope to demonstrate to the Post Office Officials that there is a true need to keep the Baybrook Station open, and that the elderly and handicapped residents really need this station,” said Burns. The office is located at the junction of Jones Hill Road and Ocean Avenue, only a few yards from the Gregory Morrissey Senior Housing Complex. 

“Many of these seniors do not drive and would not have easy access to another post office.  Closure of the Baybrook Station would be a hardship to them,” Burns said.

The rally organizers are hoping to get a full house at the Bailey auditorium, showing officials the need for the office. West Haven currently has three postal outlets, the main branch, located in Allingtown at Farwell Street and the former main branch on Campbell Avenue.

 “We are hoping to get a packed house at Bailey to show that there is community support to keep our post office open,” Burns said.

In order to keep the evidence flowing to postal officials, surveys will be distributed among those attending the rally. It is hoped by giving officials some sort of paper trail, the decision would be forced on officials to keep the office open.

“This is our last chance to demonstrate that we the residents of West Haven need our Post Office to be kept open. We must demonstrate that by community action there is an overpowering need to keep our Post Office open,” Burns said finally.