IRON MOUNTAIN - United States Postal Service officials believe they have developed a solution to address needs at the Iron Mountain Post Office.
Marge Oehlke of Corporate Communications for the United States Postal Service, said the decline in mail volume, advances in mail processing technology, and a decline in retail window transactions has led to an excess capacity of workroom floor and retail lobby space.
"We believe we have developed an innovative solution to address our needs at the Iron Mountain Post Office while continuing to provide customers with excellent mail service and convenience access to retail products and services," she said.
It involves the possibility of putting the Post Office buildings up for sale, leasing less space in the building from the buyer, or in a building nearby, for retail lobby operations and relocating carriers to a neighboring Post Office with excess workroom floor capacity.
"This solution allows us to make optimal use of our Post Office network, reduce operating costs, generate additional revenue to cover operating costs and capital improvements and provide local municipalities with additional property tax revenue," Oehlke said.
The Iron Mountain Main Post Office, located at 101 W Ludington Street, is a candidate for this innovative solution.
"Our plan is to sell this building with the stipulation that we can continue to provide retail counter services in the same building or at a new location nearby," Oehlke said. "We would lease approximately 2,000 square feet from either the building purchaser or a lessor/owner of another location in the immediate area."
Oehlke said if a sale goes through, nothing will change from our customer's perspective. No layoffs are planned if a sale goes through.
"We have no plans of closing the Iron Mountain Post Office. If we can find a buyer who accepts the conditions for the sale, Iron Mountain postal customers will continue to purchase stamps, mail and ship packages or rent Post Office boxes in the same building; or they will be able to conduct business at another location close to the current Post Office," she said. "We will continue to provide excellent mail delivery to residents and businesses."
There are 537 postal boxes rented at the Iron Mountain Post Office. Window hours are from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Postal Service is facing the most critical period in its history. With the economic downturn and increased diversion to the Internet, mail volumes have dramatically dropped.
Even when the economy recovers, mail volume is not expected to return to previous peak levels, postal officials said.
The American Postal Workers Union sent a notification to all box holders of the Iron Mountain Post Office on Thursday. The notification says USPS has plans to sell or vacate the Iron Mountain Post Office. The union encourages residents to contact their local congressional representatives, city council members and postal officials to demand they not sell or relocate the IM Post Office.
"We do not need anymore vacant buildings in our community or lost businesses," the notification letter from the APWU reads.
As a self-supporting government agency that receives no tax dollars for its operating expenses, the Postal Service must rely on the sale of postage and products and services to generate revenue, officials said.
In the face of unsustainable deficits due to a drastic decline in mail volume and resulting loss of revenue, the Postal Service must seek ways to cut costs, officials said.
Lisa M. Hoffmann's e-mail address is lhoffmann@ironmountaindailynews.com.