Dear City Council of Menlo Park,

I wrote this suggestion to your website but was told to send my concerns to the post office because it was not your jurisdiction.

However, isn't it the duty of the city elected officials to make lives better for its citizens? and if the citizens would like something, shouldn't the city officials try to help it happen even if it is "not their jurisdiction"?

I am writing to ask that you please consider opening the Oak Grove or Ashby locations on Saturday.

I think that recently there has been an influx of new residents to the Menlo Park area and we would appreciate having a post office nearby that is open on Saturdays within walking distance of homes and shops.

I understand that the Bohannon location is open on Saturdays, but this is far from “central Menlo Park.” The locations suggested above are within walking distance to many homes, whereas the Bohannon is far from many homes.

Thus, to decrease driving to the post office and thus decrease global warming, and to improve the lives of residents of Menlo Park and Atherton, I ask you to please consider opening one of the locations on Saturday.

I called the main post office and they said “this will never happen. We are cutting down on staff.” However, I am confused because San Francisco is able to have many of its neighborhood post offices open on the weekends. I lived in SF for 15 years and just moved here. Surely, Menlo Park/Atherton should be able to do the same.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

I wrote this same letter to the postmaster general on 12.15.07, but have received no response as of yet. And I sent out an email encouraging Menlo Park residents who are members of the PAMP (Palo Alto Menlo Park parents email group) to contact you if they, too, would like one of these locations open on a Saturday.

At the very least, perhaps the city would consider: 1. buying an electronic postage scale for the hallway of the Oak Grove location
2. having voter registration packets available in that hallway 3. asking for a curbside/sidewalks mailbox for that location so we do not have to go in to mail the mail.

Sincerely,

Sophia Yen MD MPH
196 Tuscaloosa Ave
Atherton CA 94027 Received on Tue Jan 1 18:04:24 2008