No stamp of approval

But this treasured gathering spot may close its doors because of government downsizing, a prospect that has cast a pall over this community of about 5,000 known colloquially as “the Lake.’’ The branch was one of 371 under consideration for closure, according to a report released this fall by the US Postal Service.

While a decision has not been made - and it is not clear when it will be - some fear that a loss of the branch in Nonantum, which borders Watertown, would create a vacuum in the tight-knit neighborhood that for decades has been Newton’s Italian stronghold. More than half of the village’s residents are older than 65. There is concern that, should the post office close, many elderly people will have trouble making the trip to the Newtonville post office, which they say is too far for walking, too crowded for waiting, and too congested for driving and parking.

“I think it’s just disgusting,’’ said Assunta Sauro, a 75-year-old who frequently uses Nonantum’s post office. “They want to us to go Newtonville, and I have no way to get there.’’

The Postal Service’s list of branches and stations under review, reduced from 3,600, also has targeted six local college campuses, which are trying to fight back.

The colleges say that their post offices, combined, serve tens of thousands of students from throughout the world, a community that is bigger than most Massachusetts cities and towns. Closing the campus branches, the colleges contend, would be unfair to students and would overburden nearby branches that will be forced to pick up an influx.

“We think consideration to close post offices on college campuses does not take into [account] the actual populations that these campus post offices serve,’’ said Jack Dunn, spokesman for Boston College. BC officials have sent letters to the postmaster general arguing against closures. The other colleges that might lose their post offices are Tufts, Boston University, MIT, Babson College, and Harvard Business School. Logan Airport, Faneuil Hall, and a branch in Springfield are also being considered for closure.

The US Postal Service, which has reduced the number of blue streetside mailboxes and slashed hours at some branches and retail stations, said its consolidation plan is part of an effort to address a $7 billion deficit. Mail volume fell by 9.5 billion pieces in fiscal year 2008 to a total of 203 billion pieces - a decrease of more than 4 percent - and is projected to fall by another 28 billion pieces in fiscal year 2009. The decline is expected to continue, said Ann Powers, spokeswoman for the US Postal Service in the Greater Boston district.

Many former customers have turned to online alternatives - an opportunity not many of the elderly in Nonantum have tapped.

“The process that examines possible consolidation of offices . . . is in response to these harsh realities,’’ Powers wrote in an e-mail. Nonantum’s branch is under review because its lease expires next year, and the Boston area colleges are targeted because they operate only 28 weeks per year, when schools are in full session, Powers said.

The Postal Service has 37,000 postal offices, branches, and community stations in addition to tens of thousands of other retail and ATM stations that sell postage. It has been holding community meetings to address its consolidation needs and receive input from the public.

Moe Lepore, president of Boston’s Metro American Postal Workers Union, concedes that the Postal Service is going through tough economic times and that some branches and stations, such as the one at the airport, need to close. But he fears that shutting community post offices across the US would leave “tens of millions of people who don’t have a personal computer’’ without a place to mail their letters.

“It’s an American way of life that is going by the board if we don’t stop it,’’ Lepore said. “The Postal Service is pandering to men and women on their PCs who do their business online. But most of us are not online, and don’t depend on the Internet to do their business.’’

In Nonantum, which has lost its library, residents wonder if their village of small businesses, families, and young professionals is being singled out.

“There are some equity issues here’’ because Nonantum is the only one of Newton’s seven post offices targeted, said Jeremy Solomon, spokesman for Mayor David Cohen.

At Salvi’s barbershop, owner John Mula said residents and businesses see the branch as part of their community.

“It’s not just a place to mail a deposit or send off mail,’’ said Mula, who signed a petition to keep the branch open. “It’s the center of a village.’’

David Marks, who uses the post office about four times a day to mail shipments for his cutlery shop, expressed frustration that another slice of a neighborhood might be leaving.

“Every time you remove something like a post office or a library,’’ he said, “you are chipping at some more basic comforts in the community.’’

Meghan E. Irons can be reached at mirons@globe.com