Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-04) is leading state and municipal officials representing Jackson Township, New Jersey in a new push to address and resolve the ongoing postal service crisis at the Jackson Post Office.

                In a joint letter to U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner, Smith and his fellow elected officials—NJ-LD-12 Senator Owen Henry, NJ-LD-12 Assemblymen Alex Sauickie and Robert Clifton, and Jackson Township Mayor Jennifer Kuhn—call attention to the “overwhelming concerns voiced by… the residents and businesses of Jackson Township, [who] have repeatedly expressed frustrations over deteriorating service conditions, unsafe access, excessive wait times,” and inadequacies of the existing facility.

                “While the USPS has previously stated that they are aware of and looking into the ongoing challenges facing the Jackson Post Office, these issues have only intensified in recent years, resulting in poor customer service, and above all, serious public safety risks,” said Smith. “As Jackson Township’s population continues to grow, so do the shortcomings and limitations of its only postal facility.”

                The letter notes that “Jackson Township is the third-largest municipality in New Jersey by land area, encompassing approximately 100 square miles,” and stresses that the town’s population has grown exponentially in recent decades.

                “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Jackson's population increased from 25,644 residents in 1980 to 58,544 residents in 2020, with more recent estimates placing the population at nearly 61,000 residents,” the officials write. “This growth has been accompanied by continued residential and commercial development, significantly increasing the demand for postal services.”

                “The Jackson Post Office has proven to be woefully ineffective in adequately serving the needs of its booming population,” Smith continued. “Postal customers at this facility have been repeatedly subjected to overcrowded conditions, extended wait times, inadequate parking, severe traffic congestion, and insufficient staffing.”

                The letter specifically cites eyewitness accounts from Mayor Kuhn, who stated that she “has personally visited [the facility] on numerous occasions and has witnessed firsthand the unsafe conditions created by vehicles backing onto Bennetts Mills Road, traffic congestion extending beyond the property, and residents struggling to safely access postal services.”

                These conditions, the lawmakers argue, “create legitimate public safety concerns, not only for postal customers, but also for motorists, pedestrians, emergency responders, and the community as a whole.”

                Moreover, the authors of the letter note that Jackson Township was historically served by two postal facilities—the Cassville Post Office, located at 520 West Veterans Highway, and the Jackson Post Office, located at 915 Bennetts Mills Road—that helped distribute customer demand and provided residents in different sections of the municipality with reasonable, effective access to postal services; however, in 2012, the Cassville facility closed its doors, forcing Jackson Township’s tens of thousands of residents to now rely upon a singular, ill-equipped facility for all of their postal needs.

                In the conclusion of their letter, the lawmakers call for “decisive action” from the USPS and urge the agency to seriously evaluate:

• The establishment of a second, full-service postal facility within Jackson Township to restore adequate access for residents and businesses;
• The significant modernization and/or expansion of the existing Bennetts Mills Road facility, including improvements to parking, traffic flow, customer service areas, accessibility, and operational capacity; and
• The immediate operational improvements to address staffing levels, customer wait times, and public safety concerns while long-term solutions are being evaluated.

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