'Eyesore' In Bridgewater: Post Office's Overgrown Weeds Raises Concerns

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Bridgewater Post Office has been described as an "eyesore" and appearing "abandoned" prompting officials to take action.

"The property over the years has been in poor maintenance and this past summer it was very, very bad," said Dominick Caruso, who has been a township resident for 52 years. "There were 3-foot weeds growing all over the place, the grass was overgrown, and none of the edges or curb lines were cut."

Caruso, who owns the North Bridge Plaza property down the road from the Post Office on N Bridge Street, reached out to Councilman Timothy Ring in August after having a friend come visit from out of town.

"My friend called me and asked, 'The old post office building, is that place abandoned? I can not believe they would allow that'," said Caruso.

Ring went down to the property on Sept. 11 and was not happy with the condition of the property.

"Quite frankly if you took the time to look at the overall condition of it, it is quite concerning," said Ring at the Sept. 13 Council meeting. "Unfortunately, the township has zero enforcement there."

Ring said that he was told that the post office does not have a landscaping service and instead postal employees are supposed to maintain the property.

"If it wasn’t for the federal government we would be all over them for property upkeep," said Ring.

Ring went on to say the property was an "eyesore" especially since it is located on an important thoroughfare into town.

Since the council meeting, Ring said he has spoken to the postmaster and the property was cleaned up.

"The Postal Service always wants to be a good neighbor in every community that we serve. We appreciate contact from our customers and community leaders when we fall short of that goal," said USPS Spokesman Xavier C. Hernandez. "Postal management have confirmed that the landscaping concerns have been addressed by the local team. Staffing availability created challenges earlier in September, but have since been resolved."

While the concerns have been addressed, Caruso said even though it was "cleaned up it still looks rough."

"If you compare their building to my North Bridge Plaza building it is like night and day," said Caruso. "They are supposed to be the government and setting a better example."

Hernandez noted that as the busy holiday season approaches, the post office ensures "a welcoming post office environment with regular maintenance."

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