COLUMBUS – As a result of a study begun on October 8, 2009, the Postal Service has made the decision to move outgoing mail processing operations from the Columbus Customer Service Mail Processing Center to the Macon Processing and Distribution Center in Macon, Georgia. Local mail service will not be affected by the move.
 
South Georgia District Manager Julius E. Locklear said, “Given the drastic decline in mail volume the Postal Service has experienced, with a decline of 26 billion pieces this past year, 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,” Locklear added, “but the consolidation makes sense given the fiscal realities. The Macon Processing and Distribution Center has the capacity to handle the additional workload and we can realize significant savings by shifting operations there.”

The transition will be completed by Thursday, July 1, 2010. Some employees may be reassigned to other vacant positions as a result of the move.

“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,” said District Manager Locklear.

While stamped items will now indicate Macon, Georgia P&DC, instead of Columbus, Georgia CSMPC in the cancellation, customers and guests in the area preferring to have a Columbus, Georgia postmark may always visit any office and receive that at the customer service window.

Full retail services will still be available at the Columbus Main Post Office.  Retail service for purchasing stamps and other services will continue to be available at any Columbus and Fort Benning post office locations.  A full listing of those offices is a part of this release.

The Columbus Customer Service Processing Center Business Mail Entry Unit on Milgen Road will remain open for large volume business mailers to bring their mail.  Drop shipments will continue to be received at that location.

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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 direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.