Commission files federal complaints after Pleasant Street post office entrance problems; seeks town help

Brenda McDonough told the commission she filed formal federal complaints after repeated access problems at the Pleasant Street post office entrance and said she has not received a substantive response from the independent Inspector General’s office or other federal reviewers. McDonough said she first filed with the Inspector General and later used the U.S. Access Board’s Architectural Barriers Act complaint process for a downtown post office issue that previously generated a prompt response, but the Pleasant Street submission ‘‘went nowhere’’ as far as she could tell.

Members raised jurisdictional questions and possible enforcement paths. McDonough said the Department of Justice typically handles cases alleging discriminatory processes rather than purely structural access problems, and that filing under different federal channels had proved confusing. Rocky suggested contacting Paul Murphy, the town building inspector, to ask whether the town could take any enforcement steps even though the facility is federal. McDonough said she would reach out to Paul Murphy the following Monday to see whether the town could assist or identify other avenues for enforcement.

Commissioners also described operational concerns at the post office: staffing gaps, inconsistent hours and anecdotal reports of delayed or missing mail. One member said a seasonal postal official’s presence could result in temporary service changes; another recounted that mail handling has worsened over recent years and that customers are sometimes unable to reach a manager on site.

McDonough said she will continue visiting the post office to seek a manager, pursue other complaint venues, and follow up with town staff about whether any local action is possible.