{news} CT Greens make Stamford Advocate News

[Tim McKee]

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-tax1apr16,0,776056.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines 
Last-minute filers flock to Stamford post office By Zach Lowe
Staff Writer

April 16, 2005

STAMFORD -- The few first drivers turned away at 10 p.m. were polite.

But at 10:02 p.m., the cursing started.

"Oh come on," said Greg Janowski, after being informed the Camp Avenue post office had closed two minutes earlier. Then he uttered an obscenity.

Determined to drop off the tax returns he had mostly finished in February, Janowski pulled out of the post office driveway, sped about 20 feet toward Hope Street and parked his car on the grass.

He sprinted about 50 yards to the post office door, which police had kept open an extra couple of minutes, and mailed his money away.

"I was worried they'd tag my car," Janowski said afterwards. "But this is a tradition for me -- the last hour at the post office."

The Camp Avenue post office has been the only after business hours option for lower Fairfield County filers since 2001, when the Atlantic Street post office gave up the April 15 midnight shift.

This year, the Camp Avenue post office closed two hours earlier, sending surprised residents to facilities in White Plains, N.Y., and Bridgeport that stayed open until midnight.

"White Plains?" asked one woman at about 10:10 p.m. "Are you (kidding) me?"

"Is Bridgeport in Connecticut?" asked another.

Those who arrived before closing time found the post office taking tax returns and churning out customers faster than they had anticipated. Most never even had to enter the building. Instead, they drove in and dropped off their stamped envelopes to two postal employees. The first placed the envelopes in a white crate, and the second, Tina Inabinet, postmarked them April 15.

Others parked nearby at Stamford Twin Rinks and walked their returns over to Inabinet, who joked that her last name sounds like "in a minute."

"This is nothing compared to last year," Inabinet said. "We had cars going in this direction, that direction, and other directions that weren't even there."

Mark Dolan, the post office manager, said tax night lines are shorter now that more people file online. The days of arguing over parking spots and lines snaking out the post office door appear to be finished, he said.

"It's nothing like the old days," Dolan said.

He remembered when the West Avenue post office had midnight duties in Stamford. One year, Dolan said, the line of cars stretched up the Exit 6 ramp and caused gridlock on Interstate 95.

Last night, a steady flow of about 30 people came in and out of the post office building. They either didn't have stamps or wanted to send their returns as certified mail so they could have a return receipt to prove they had paid on time.

As they entered, they were greeted by members of the Connecticut Green Party who handed out fliers with pie charts showing what percentage of the federal budget goes to variousgovernment agencies.

"Do you want to know where your money goes?" they asked.

"Unfortunately, I already know where it goes," one man answered. "But I still have to pay."

Inside, they found about 10 postal employees fanned out around the building like a football team lined up for an offensive play.

Immediately in front of the door, two women postmarked envelopes. Behind them, people lined up to buy stamps from two machines. To the left, Dolan sold books of 20 stamps. He was glad nobody was scalping them for higher prices outside the post office this year.

"People pay double not to come in here tonight," he joked.

In the back, four employees manned all the normal windows.

Most late filers said they were simply procrastinators or waited until the last minute because they knew they owed money.

Mariann Niblo, an account manager for the city, said she was filing an extension because she may have made a mistake on her return -- a mistake that may have cost her a refund.

"I only found out an hour ago," Niblo said. "My dad would kick my butt if he knew I were here at the last minute."

Her father, Niblo said, is an international tax law expert. 
Copyright © 2005, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc. 
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