Valdosta Post Office faces shut down

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Valdosta Customer Service Mail Processing Center has made the tentative list of 250 postal processing facilities across the country that the U.S. Postal Service plans to close.

Back in September, the Postal Service announced plans to conduct a study at the Valdosta Customer Service Mail Processing Center to examine the possibility of consolidating its operations into the Jacksonville Processing and Distribution Center.

“The Postal Service is having some financial issues,” said Stephen Seewoester, a USPS spokesman. “We are trying to find ways to save money.”

In the past five years, annual mail volume has decreased by 43 billion pieces. The Postal Service anticipates this deficit to continue and does not expect mail volume to return to sustainable levels even when the economy fully recovers.

Due to this decline, the Postal Service conducted a nationwide study of its mail-processing network, which included the networks present in Valdosta.

“The economic reality demands that the Postal Service reduce its network,” Susan M. LaChance, vice president of the USPS consumer and industry affairs, wrote in a letter to The Times on Sept. 15. “Today the Postal Service has not only more equipment, personnel and facilities than it needs to process a decreasing amount of mail, but also less revenue than it needs to cover the costs of that large processing and delivery network.”

Seewoester said the current plan is to shut down the Valdosta Customer Service Mail Processing Center and consolidate the center into the Jacksonville Processing and Distribution Center. Annual savings are projected to be as follows: Annual mail processing employee savings, $301,018; Annual maintenance savings, $14,477; Annual transportation savings, $88,075.

Though significant savings are projected, a net decrease of approximately five positions is likely, according to the Area Mail Processing (AMP) Feasibility Study dated Nov. 22, 2011.

As far as local customer consideration, the changes appear to be mostly internal. Retail and other services currently available at the Valdosta facility will not change at this time and delivery times of mail to residences and businesses will not change. However, local business mail acceptance and local collection box pick-up times may change.

Commercial mailers will see some changes that may affect their businesses significantly. Mailers who presort mail will continue to receive appropriate postage discounts but mailers who ship to Destination Sectional Center Facility (DSCF) 316 can expect changes.

A change that will affect both local customers and commercial mailers will be to the first-class standard. Currently, first-class mail takes one to two days to reach its destination. Consolidation will result in first-class mail taking two to three days to reach its destination.

Some, such as Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), say that these changes will further hinder the Postal Service.

“They will drive people to use the services that cut out into their revenue,” said DeFazio during a live feed on C-SPAN Tuesday night.

More details concerning the Valdosta Customer Service Mail Processing Center tentatively closing and consolidating with the Jacksonville Processing and Distribution Center will be discussed at a public meeting, 6 p.m. today, Dec. 7, Valdosta State’s University Center’s Magnolia Room. Postal Service representatives will be present to discuss upcoming changes and address any concerns the public may have.

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