GAINESVILLE — As a result of a study begun earlier this year, the Postal Service has made the decision to consolidate mail processing operations from the Gainesville Processing & Distribution Facility to the Jacksonville Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC).

North Florida District Manager Eric Chavez said, "Given the drastic 20 percent decline in mail volume the Postal Service has experienced since 2007, we must take action to reduce the size of our mail processing network. Consolidating operations and placing our people where we need them is necessary if the Postal Service is to remain viable to provide mail service to the nation."

"I understand our employees’ concern over this move," Chavez added, "but the consolidation makes sense given the fiscal realities. The Jacksonville center has the capacity to handle the additional workload and we can realize significant savings by shifting operations there."

The transition is expected to be completed by January 2012. Some employees may be reassigned to the Jacksonville Processing & Distribution Center or to other vacant positions as a result of the move.

"This move will not cause any changes in local mail delivery," said Chavez. "Letters mailed to local addresses will be delivered the next day, the same as before. I am confident the transition will be smooth and transparent to our customers and they will continue to receive the same excellent service they always have."

There will one changes in service standards, however, as a result of the consolidation, service to Tallahassee and Zip code 323 will change from overnight to 2-day. "The significant cost savings and productivity gains expected from this consolidation were deciding factors in making this very difficult decision," said Chavez.

Full retail services in Gainesville will still be available at the: General Mail Facility at 4600 SW 34th Street, Main Street Station at 1401 North Main Street, University Station at 1630 NW 1st Avenue, and Northwest Station at 4111 NW 16th Boulevard.

Customers also may use these contract postal units: Westside Postal Center at 7257 NW 4th Boulevard, Pat's Kwik Stop at 3436 West University Avenue, and Shands Hospital at 1600 SW Archer Road.

The Gainesville Business Mail Entry Unit will remain open for large volume business mailers.

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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. We’re everywhere so you can be anywhere: www.uspseverywhere.com. 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.