Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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February 3, 2011

U.S. Postal Service plans consolidation study of Bluefield processing facility

GREG JORDAN Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD — Officials with the U.S. Postal Service announced plans Wednesday to study Bluefield’s Processing and Distribution Facility on Cumberland Road and consider the possibility of consolidating its operations with similar facilities in Charleston and Johnson City, Tenn.

The study, known as an Area Mail Processing (AMP) study, involves a review of the mail processing and transportation operations to determine capacity needs in order to increase efficiency and production, postal officials said in a statement released Wednesday.

Calls to the postal service were not returned Wednesday evening.

Bluefield Mayor Linda Whalen said she had heard that the postal service was looking at many of its centers, but Wednesday was the first time she had heard that they were also looking at Bluefield’s facility.

“That’s distressing,” she said after hearing the news. “I hope the numbers will show that the center is vibrant and they will keep it open.”

Whalen said she was also concerned about the center’s employees.

“Any time there is a consolidation, there could be job loss,” she said. “We will be discussing this at our city board meetings and certainly contacting the appropriate postal officials.”

The current economic downturn and continued Internet diversion has lead to a drastic 20 percent decline in mail volume since 2007, resulting in historically large deficits, postal officials said in their statement.

“As a result of the volume loss, we have more facilities, equipment and people than we need to process a declining volume of mail,” said Appalachian District Manager Robert A. Cavinder. “We have to reduce the size of our network because we are not longer receiving enough revenue to sustain its cost.”

If the study supports the case for changing the mail processing operations, the U.S. Postal Service will hold a public meeting to allow members of the community to ask questions and provide feedback. This input will be considered in the final proposal, postal officials said.

Comments may be submitted to: Consumer Affairs Manager, USPS Appalachian District, P.O. Box 59631, Charleston, WV 25350-9631.

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