USPS May Close 3,700 Post Offices—Including Cuttyhunk

The tiny island of Cuttyhunk, located 8 miles off the coast of Aquinnah, could be left without a post office, pending the results of a study announced Tuesday by the United States Postal Service (USPS) of some 3,700 post offices throughout the country.

The USPS has said it will review the post offices to determine if any might be shuttered in an effort to save costs. Most of the post offices included on the list are located in rural communities and serve small numbers of people.

According to the 2010 US Census, some 75 people live year-round in Gosnold, the sole town on the outermost Elizabeth Island and the only town in Dukes County not located on Martha's Vineyard. That number swells to as high as 400 during the summer months.

No Martha’s Vineyard post offices were included on the list.

Studies of the affected post offices will be conducted over the next four months, said the USPS.

Should the USPS decide to close the Cuttyhunk Post Office, the island could adopt a new “Village Post Office” model.

“Village Post Offices would be operated by local businesses, such as pharmacies, grocery stores and other appropriate retailers, and would offer popular postal products and services such as stamps and flat-rate packaging” in towns without stand-alone post offices, the USPS said in a press release.

Though the announcement that the USPS intends to review several thousands post offices has drawn national headlines, it is in fact nothing new for the financially beleaguered institution. The USPS has predicted a deficit this year of $8.3 billion. In January it announced its intention to review some 1,400 post offices, less than 300 of which have since been closed.

“The Postal Service of the future will be smaller, leaner and more competitive and it will continue to drive commerce, serve communities and deliver value,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.