A study to evaluate the advantages of shifting Springfield sorting operations to a U.S. Postal Service processing center in Kansas City sent Saturday sorting of Springfield mail to Kansas City last July.
Postal service officials held a public meeting Jan. 4 in Springfield to discuss initial findings from the survey that found the postal service would save an estimated $7.98 million by consolidating Springfield processing operations with the Kansas City sorting center. The meeting also offered an opportunity for the public to offer input on the proposed closure of the Springfield sorting center, which employs more than 250 workers.
U.S. Postal Service Mid-America District spokesman Richard Watkins confirmed the postal service has been utilizing a Kansas City processing and distribution center for weekend sorting of Springfield mail since the Fourth of July weekend. Watkins said the move was tied to the study and provided helpful information about Springfield mail volume.
Watkins said the Kansas City processing center postmarks about 140,000 pieces of mail on the weekends for Springfield, an amount that is roughly half of Springfield’s weekday volume.
“It was a way for us to take a look and say, ‘Hey, as we study this, do we have the capacity at K.C., Mo.?” Watkins said. “It just made good sense operationally to begin that process.”
He said the study, which is still not complete, seems to indicate that the Kansas City sorting center can handle Springfield’s workload.
“Can we get the mail back down to Springfield in good shape? So far, based on the results of what we’re doing on Saturday – absolutely,” Watkins said. “This is the first step in helping determine whether it’s feasible to handle that additional load. It’s just one step, but it’s an important step.”
A decision on whether the transportation network can handle the additional mail volume during the week would not come until at least May 15, when the moratorium on consolidations imposed by Congress is scheduled to be lifted.
According to the USPS, first-class mail volume has declined by almost 23 billion pieces, or approximately 42 percent, between fiscal years 2001 and 2010. Overall mail volumes, according to Watkins, are down 20 percent nationwide from a peak in 2006.
To combat its financial woes, the postal service said last year it would consider moving to a five-day delivery schedule, and it would look at closing 252 mail processing centers – including Springfield and Cape Girardeau – and 3,600 low-activity post offices in a plan to save $20 billion by 2015.
“We are in a financial crisis right now, and we’ve got to take steps to save money,” Watkins said.
On Feb. 6, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., announced at a Kansas City post office that she was working on legislation to save the six-day delivery schedule for at least a four-year period and provide immediate relief for the USPS by reducing the prefunding requirement on retirement plans for postal employees from $5.5 billion per year to less than $3.5 billion.
“Families and businesses in Missouri know that our post offices are more than just brick and mortar; postal service is a lifeblood for our communities,” McCaskill said in a statement.
Requests for comment from U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, were not returned by press time. Long attended USPS’ Jan. 4 public input meeting, and he asked that Springfield sorting operations not be consolidated with Kansas City’s processing center.
Watkins said the prefunding requirement has tied the hands of the postal service, costing it more than $21 billion since 2006 as usage has fallen. He said he’d like to see the prefunding requirement removed altogether.
“We are beyond needing a Band-Aid. What we really need is flexibility to manage our operations,” Watkins said.
If the Springfield mailing center is closed, the postal service expects to realize a net loss of about 60 positions, and first-class postage mailed within the city would take two to three days.[[In-content Ad]]
A Springfield couple launched 24-hour fitness center Iron Knights Strafford; Springfield-based Meridian Title Co. LLC made its debut in Mount Vernon; and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in conjunction with the grand opening of Render Flooring LLC.
