Mount Vernon post office reopens three months after closing

The Mount Vernon Station post office reopened Thursday after three months of being closed due to a broken air conditioning unit.

"Very convenient," said Conisa Allen.

One after another, people walked back into the Mount Vernon Station post office after it was closed since early June.

"I'm just glad that this post office is back open for this community," said Babette Taylor.

Clark said she has a post office box inside and could not gain access to it for the past three months.

"Everybody I would talk to, even at the main post office, ‘We don't know ma'am. All we know is that the air conditioning is out.' How long does it take to get fixed?" Clark said.

The landlord of the property, James Fogler, was responsible for the repairs. NBC4 reporters made numerous calls to Fogler, but he never returned them.

Closed northeast Columbus post office leaves some residents without service

After NBC4's story first aired about the broken air conditioning unit, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and the city attorney's office put pressure on Fogler. Beatty even looked into finding a way to terminate the property owner's contract for the building.

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said he's glad the post office has reopened and sent NBC4 this statement:

I am thrilled that this Post Office is reopening after we contacted the landlord. The fact that it was closed for months was unacceptable and put great strain on local residents during the pandemic. Life-saving medications, important notices and critical government checks are just a few of the things that our citizens rely on the U.S. Postal Service for . . . and soon as a way to cast their ballots in this all-important general election. I appreciate this action and hope that we'll see even further commitment to properly serve our residents.

ZACH KLEIN, COLUMBUS CITY ATTORNEY

"I hope something like this never happens again," said Clark.

Beatty has halted her efforts to terminate the contract with the landlord because the post office has reopened.

This article was originally published by NBC 4 on September 10, 2020.