On Monday, U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva said he received notification of the closure deferral, which is the second one since last year. He said he is hoping the closure will be delayed for at least another year.

“This is letting me know that it is difficult to defend the closure,” said Grijalva, who has been asking for more than three years that the Cherrybell Main Post Office, 1501 S. Cherrybell Stravenue, remain open to mail processing.

“The study has to be a study based on apples to apples,” said Grijalva, explaining that there are postal centers that serve fewer people than Cherrybell that “are not on the chopping block.”

In a news release, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally said she called for updated studies before the proposed consolidation of postal facilities, and Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman “confirmed the current studies will be updated and reviewed before any future decisions are made.”

“I am pleased to see the Postal Service commit to take a fresh look at the situation around the country before making any new decisions related to Cherrybell,” McSally said in the release. Earlier this month, McSally was joined by 33 lawmakers in a letter to Postmaster General Megan Brennan calling for a new look at the closure plans.

The first phase of Cherrybell’s consolidation by the postal service to save money was in February 2013 when it consolidated the processing of mail originating in Tucson to Phoenix.

The remainder of the consolidation was originally set for April 18, 2015, and was then deferred to July 11, 2015. It was postponed again, indefinitely.

If Cherrybell’s mail services are moved to Phoenix, then the only function left at the Cherrybell station would be retail services and post office boxes.

Consolidating the processing of mail to Phoenix will result in mail delivery delays for Tucson. Local leaders have said this delay will affect everything from businesses who rely on mail service to people waiting for their medications and retirees waiting for pension checks.

Grijalva said he is pushing for answers about how long the deferral will be, and is hoping it is for another year so that a comprehensive study is completed. He also said a year will give people in Southern Arizona “time to mobilize and push beyond deferred closure to push to leave it open.”

In addition to Southern Arizonans, Grijalva said, “This issue now has bipartisan members of Congress supporting a transparent, comprehensive study,” which makes for a strong case to keep Cherrybell open.

“The credit has to go to the patrons of the postal service in Southern Arizona who have never given up on this, and have supported a comprehensive study,” Grijalva said.