Freehold Borough has made efforts to accommodate building owner

I would like to set the record straight to accurately record the events that have recently transpired with respect to the post office in Freehold Borough. First of all, there has been a coordinated effort to sustain a postal service in Freehold Borough. Both private and public sectors have tirelessly lobbied the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for a stable presence within the borough. I feel confident that the USPS will respond favorably throughout the long term. I applaud the efforts of all responsible parties in this mission.

Secondly, I need to truthfully relate the borough’s history in cooperating with Jonathan Ostrander, who is the owner of the building on East Main Street that houses the current postal service.

I choose not to address the competence of the service that has been provided, for that is the subject of an entirely separate discussion.

However, I need to inform the residents and businesses of the borough that we have made numerous attempts to deal with Mr. Ostrander’s woes so that the post office can remain open for business. The following highlights some of the key steps taken by the borough to effectively and compassionately deal with Mr. Ostrander’s dilemma:

• Mr. Ostrander had fallen behind in paying his property taxes to the borough. Freehold Borough entered into a time-pay agreement with him so that his building would not be posted for a tax sale, which would have placed the operation of the post office at risk. Needless to say, our efforts have prevented a postal service closing for some time.

• Freehold Borough allowed Mr. Ostrander an opportunity to place a newspaper stand in his building on East Main Street without having to pursue the costly land-use process. Despite receiving this approval, Mr. Ostrander failed to pursue this matter to completion.

• Freehold Borough recently approved the development of a restaurant in his building. As of this writing, Mr. Ostrander has failed to secure the requisite building permits to bring this matter to completion.

• Just last week, Freehold Borough approved the development of a bagel shop and delicatessen within his building on East Main Street. We are still awaiting his submission of building permits.

As a casual reader will conclude, Mr. Ostrander’s woes are not the fault of any other party. All of his misdirected blame and conspiracy theories will not complete the projects that the borough has approved. Nor will it return stamps to the current post office’s inventory.

Mayor Michael Wilson

Freehold Borough