CHICAGO – The U.S. Postal Service will hold a series of public meetings to gain customer feedback on proposed retail unit closings and/or consolidations in the Chicago District.
The meetings are part of a process begun earlier this summer, with the announcement of a nationwide study of 3,653 Post Offices, stations and branches for potential closing. The offices were selected for study due to factors including the number of customer visits and transactions, and proximity to other postal locations.
12 Chicago District locations are included on the study list.
The schedule for the public meetings is as follows (all meetings 6:00 -8:00 PM except where noted):
- Chinatown – Monday, October 17
Pui Tak Center, 2216 S Wentworth Ave. - Riverdale – Wednesday, October 19
Village Hall Board Room, 157 W. 144th St. - Station U – Thursday, October 20
University Church, 5655 S. University Ave - Englewood – Saturday, October 22 (10 AM – Noon)
7th District Police Station, 1438 W. 63rd St. - Ogden Park – Saturday, October 22 (2-4 PM)
Evening Star Baptist Church, 2020 W. 59th St. - Ashburn – Monday, October 24
Monument of Faith, 2750 W. Columbus Ave. - Mary Alice Henry, Nancy B Jefferson, Otis Grant Collins, Rev. Milton R. Brunson & Robert LeFlore – Tuesday, October 25
New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 4301 W. Washington Blvd. - Haymarket – Wednesday, October 26
Post Office, 433 W Harrison St
The studies, which are expected to be completed in early 2012, come as the Postal Service faces one of the most difficult challenges in its history.
Annual mail volume has declined by more than 43 billion pieces in the past 5 years and is continuing to decline. Total First-Class Mail has dropped 25 percent and single piece First-Class Mail — letters bearing postage stamps — has declined 36 percent in the same timeframe.
Even when the economy fully recovers, the Postal Service does not expect mail volume to return to previous peak levels, and is projecting annual deficits for the foreseeable future.
At the same time, customers increasingly use locations besides Post Offices to purchase stamps and send packages. More than 35 percent of the Postal Service’s retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, self-service kiosks, ATMs and usps.com, open 24/7.
With the combined effect of declining volume trends and more customers choosing to conduct their postal business outside of a Post Office, the need for the Postal Service to maintain its nearly 32,000 retail offices — the largest retail network in the country — diminishes.
No final determination on any of the locations on the list has been made. Customer feedback from the public meetings will be included as part of the study. If a study concludes that an office is to be closed, there will be an additional public notification period before any final action is taken.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.