LOUISVILLE, KY—Because of declining mail volumes and the economic recession, the U.S. Postal Service pre-screened more than 3,200 stations and branches in 400 cities across the country the few months to identify a list of candidate facilities to study for possible consolidation.

In Louisville, four offices – Beechmont, Buechel, Plainview and Valley Station – were identified as candidates for consolidation. However, after further review the Valley Station Post Office, 10642 Dixie Highway, has been removed from the list.

“In order to provide an appropriate level of service to the area, consolidation isn’t cost effective at this time,” said Louisville Postmaster Richard Curtsinger.

The Postal Service is experiencing historic declines in mail volume, which is expected to exceed 20 billion pieces this year alone. It also expects a budget shortfall of $7 billion.

USPS has responded aggressively to these challenges, with a variety of initiatives including voluntary early retirement offers to employees, consolidating mail processing operations and adjusting carrier routes across the board.

While reviews of stations and branches are on-going, the effects of the severe economic recession this year have made a larger scale initiative necessary. USPS simply cannot afford to maintain as many offices as it currently does and it must make its delivery operations from the stations and branches more efficient.

There was a time when virtually every postal retail transaction required a visit to a retail window. But customers’ needs and preferences have changed and continue to evolve. Nearly 30 percent of retail transactions are conducted using alternate retail channels. Customers in urban and suburban areas have a variety of alternative access options and more ability to access the Internet to satisfy their postal needs.

The following are some of the alternate access channels:

• usps.com
• Automated Postal Centers (APCs)
• Stamps on Consignment
• Stamps by Mail
• Click-n-Ship online postage and mailing labels
• Contract Postal Units (CPUs)
• Approved Shippers

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.