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U.S. Postal Service
August 3, 2009
U.S. Postal Service considering closing four Austin area offices
Four Austin post offices are among those the federal government is considering closing to save money.
Facing staggering financial losses, the Postal Service is looking at closing as many as 1,000 offices across the country. The four Austin offices on the list are
Chimney Corners, 3575 Far West Blvd.
East Station, 1914 E. Sixth St.
Town North, 8557 Research Blvd.
Westlake, 3201 Bee Caves Road
The post office has seen a sharp decline in mail volume as people and businesses switch to e-mail both for personal contact and bill paying. The agency is facing a nearly $7 billion potential loss this fiscal year despite a 2-cent increase in the price of stamps in May, cuts in staff and removal of collection boxes.
Last year, mail volume fell by 9.5 billion pieces to a total of 203 billion pieces. It is expected to fall by 28 billion pieces this year to a total of 175 billion pieces.
Post officials sent a list of nearly 700 potential candidates to the independent Postal Regulatory Commission for review.
More may be added. Postal Vice President Jordan Small told a congressional subcommittee that local managers will study activities of approximately 3,200 stations and branches across the country considering factors such as customer access, service standards, cost savings, impact on employees, environmental impact, real estate values and long-term Postal Service needs.
No changes are expected before the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30.
There are 32,741 post offices across the county. Of those, the service launched a review of 3,200 for potential candidates for closing. Just last week the General Accountability Office added the Postal Service to its list of troubled agencies, saying there are serious and significant structural financial challenges currently facing the agency.
“Every major postal policy, from employee pay, to days of delivery, to the closing of postal facilities must be on the table. Without major change, the day will soon come when the Postal Service will be unable to pay its bills …” GAO said.
Additional material from the Associated Press.
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