SIOUX FALLS – A facility study is complete, and the U.S. Postal Service has made the decision to close the Post Office located at 335 Walnut St. in Yankton.

“Given the extraordinary decline in mail volume and customer traffic, the Postal Service must take action to reduce the size of its retail network,” said Clem Felchle, manager of the Sioux Falls-based Dakotas District. “By consolidating, streamlining and adjusting our operations, the Postal Service becomes a more efficient and effective organization.”

The Post Office building will be listed for sale. Post Office Box and retail operations will move to the current Fox Run Annex at 506 W 25th St. The move will take place after a remodeling project at Fox Run is complete. A date for the consolidation has not been determined. Local mail delivery will not be affected.

PO Box customers can keep their box at the Fox Run facility or opt for carrier delivery at their home or business.

Customers can also purchase stamps, mail packages and access other postal service at the Contract Postal Unit (CPU) located in the Hy-Vee store at 2100 Broadway Ave. Service hours at Hy-Vee are 7 a.m.-11 p.m., seven days a week.

To find the nearest postal services, go to usps.com and click on the “Locate a Post Office” link.

Felchle also reminds postal customers they can skip the trip to the Post Office altogether and purchase stamps and postage for packages online from home or office at usps.com. Customers can also request Free Package Pickup at usps.com. Customers can also order stamps by mail, by simply requesting an order form from their carrier.

“Our commitment to customer service remains a top priority,” said Felchle. “We will continue to provide the dependable service our customers need. We also will keep a balance with our critical focus on reducing costs so that service is not diminished.”

The Postal Service receives no tax subsidy 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 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.