Postal Service Unveils Plan To Save Small Post Offices
The Post Office in Searsboro closed on September 24, 2011
Washington D.C. – The U.S. Postal Service announced a new strategy today that could keep the nation’s smallest Post Offices open for business, while providing a framework to achieve significant cost savings as part of the plan to return the organization to financial stability.
The plan would keep the existing Post Office in place, but with modified retail window hours to match customer use. Access to the retail lobby and to PO Boxes would remain unchanged, and the town’s ZIP Code and community identity would be retained.
The new strategy would be implemented over a two-year, multi-phased approach and would not be completed until September 2014. Once implementation is completed, the Postal Service estimates savings of a half billion dollars annually.
Iowa’s Governor Terry Branstad said in a release on Wednesday concerning the news, “I am pleased that the United States Postal Service has taken a more thoughtful approach in addressing their fiscal concerns. Clearly, the USPS heard loud and clear from the hundreds of Iowans who showed up at town meetings across the state to voice their concerns regarding the disproportionate impact that rural communities would have felt if the USPS had followed its initial plan. I am proud of the Iowans who stood and made their voice heard on this very important issue and thank the congressional delegation for engaging on this issue. To rural communities, a post office is an identity, a way of life, and most importantly, a critically vital economic development tool.”
Congressman Leonard Boswell also released a statement concerning the news, “I am pleased the Postal Service has withdrawn its plan to close offices, which would have greatly impacted rural Iowa. I have been encouraging Postal Service leaders to take a more creative approach to this issue instead of completely closing offices and I’m glad they made the right decision. I will continue to work to ensure any future cost-saving measures do not risk jobs and hurt businesses that depend on this vital service, especially in our small Iowa towns.”
The Postal Service will provide an opportunity for the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to review this plan prior to making any changes. The Postal Service intends to file a request for an advisory opinion on the plan with the PRC later this month. Community meetings would then be conducted to review options in greater detail. Communities will be notified by mail of the date, time and location of these meetings.
This new option complements existing alternatives, which include:
Providing mail delivery service to residents and businesses in the affected community by either rural carrier or highway contract route;
Contracting with a local business to create a Village Post Office; and Offering service from a nearby Post Office.
A voluntary early retirement incentive for the nation’s more than 21,000 non-executive postmasters was also announced.
Survey research conducted by the respected Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) in February, showed 54 percent of rural customers would prefer the new solution to maintain a local Post Office. Forty-six percent prefer one of the previously announced solutions (20% prefer Village Post Office, 15% prefer providing services at a nearby Post Office, 11% prefer expanded rural delivery). This strategy would enable a town to possibly have a Post Office with modified hours, as well as a Village Post Office.
The Postal Service has implemented a voluntary moratorium on all postal facility closings through May 15, 2012. No closings or changes to Post Office operations will occur until after that time.
In addition to maintaining a retail network of more than 31,000 Post Offices, the Postal Service also provides online access to postal products and services through usps.com and more than 70,000 alternate access locations. Nearly 40-percent of postal retail revenue comes from purchases on usps.com and through approved postal providers such as Wal-Mart, Staples, Office Depot, Walgreens, Sam’s Club, Costco, and many others.
The following is a list of local post offices and how the announcement will impact them. Name of Town is first, then the amount of hours per day they are currently open. Lastly is the amount of hours per day being proposed.
BARNES CITY – 8 – 4
BUSSEY – 8 – 4
HAMILTON – 4 – 2
HARVEY – 6 – 2
LEIGHTON – 8 -4
LOVILIA – 8 – 4
LYNNVILLE – 8 – 4
MALCOM – 8 – 4
OTLEY – 8 – 2
SULLY – 8 – 6
TRACY – 8 – 4
WHAT CHEER – 8 – 6
DEEP RIVER – 8 – 4
KEOTA – 8 – 6
BEACON – 8 – 4
BLAKESBURG – 8 – 4
CEDAR – 8 – 2
CHILLICOTHE – 4 – 2
FREMONT – 8 – 4
HEDRICK – 8 – 4
KIRKVILLE – 4 – 2
PACKWOOD – 8 – 4
ROSE HILL – 8 – 2
UNIVERSITY PARK – 8 – 4
