Postal Service wants to cut service for the Rocket City

USPS Announces Cuts Impacting Valley Residents

Article Excerpt: "... The impact of losing overnight delivery would be particularly significant for those who rely on medications like insulin that need to stay below a certain temperature during shipment. Propst Pharmacy Manager Brett Enabnit says, “They use a cold packet, they can only guarantee it for so long." ..."

Reference: www.waaytv.com/

Public Input Needed to Save Huntsville Postmark and Mail Processing Facility

Public hearing set on plans to close Huntsville mail facility

Article Excerpt: "...The Postal Service is planning public meetings Dec. 14 in Decatur and Dec. 15 in Tuscaloosa to collect input. Comments made at the meetings or submitted in writing will be entered into the record and considered by regional and national administrators, Fetterly said.

"There have been cases where a mail processing center and/or a local Post Office have not closed due to community input," Fetterly said. ..."

Comments in writing can be sent to:
Manager, Consumer and Industry Contact, Alabama District,
351 24th Street North, Birmingham AL

35203-9711. They will be accepted through Dec. 29.

Reference: al.com

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center post office to close

Marshall Space Flight Center post office branch closing in two months

Article Excerpt: "... The branch at 4200 Rideout Road will close Nov. 5 and its retail operations will be consolidated with the Redstone Arsenal Branch ..."

Reference: al.com

City Councilman Bill Kling Steps Up To The Plate To Save Huntsville Mail Processing

Struggling U.S. Postal Service sets public meeting on money-saving proposals

Article Excerpt: "... City Councilman Bill Kling is concerned about the future of the Postal Service's processing and distribution center on Wall-Triana Highway. ..."

Reference: The Huntsville Times via Postal News

Is the Postal Service considering moving mail processing operations out of the Rocket City?

Many of our readers have expressed concern relating to the possible consolidation or partial consolidation of mail processing operations at the Huntsville Processing and Distribution Facility located at 3408 Wall Triana (35813) after an article from the Huntsville Times on November 9, 2010.

The Rocket City is a booming high technology city that depends on efficient and timely mail service which is currently being accomplished by the postal employees of the Huntsville P&DF. The facility has a large number of employees that provide a huge benefit not only for the service they provide, but for the economic contribution through wages. Upon investigating the possibility of consolidating these operations with the Birmingham mail facility, we found the "Audit Report – Southeast Area Processing and Distribution Center Consolidations (Report Number EN-AR-10-006). The following is an excerpt from pages 15 and 16 of that report:


Management agreed there was excess space at the Birmingham P&DC and annex but
expressed concerns with the consolidation of Huntsville P&DF into the Birmingham
P&DC. They noted the following challenges in implementing a full consolidation of the
Huntsville P&DF into the Birmingham P&DC:

Meeting overnight service standards because of possible late mail arrival.

Processing mail in a two-story operation.

Usability and layout of excess space at the annex.

Inefficiencies due to possibly splitting same mail operations between the plant
and its annex.

Age and condition of facility and equipment.

Obviously, the report provides evidence that implementing any consolidation or partial consolidation of the Huntsville Processing & Distribution Facility would possibly cause a delay of overnight service "because of possible late mail arrival" as well as "Inefficiencies due to possibly splitting same mail operations between the plant and its annex." The report also states that the Huntsville facility is owned by the Postal Service but the annex in Birmingham is leased. With this being said, it would not be in the best interest of Huntsville, Alabama for the USPS to consolidate the facility. In fact, the public outrage over such a move should outweigh any such action. The Huntsville Processing and Distribution Facility is vital to Madison County and the Rocket City.