Some postal customers who want a local postmark on their mail may soon have to ask for it.
Changes are coming to the overall mail distribution process in the Cowboy State, based on a facilities review that makes the economic case for moving some mail processing operations away from the Cheyenne Processing and Distribution Center to Denver instead.
The change would affect customers who have zipcodes starting with 820 through 823. Their mail would be getting a Denver postmark, unless they ask for a local postmark.
The facilities review does make a business case for keeping the Cheyenne facility open, but would modernize it to become a Local Processing Center, or LPC, instead, according to an emailed statement to Cowboy State Daily from the United States Postal Service.
“It is important to note that there are no career employee layoffs and the plant is not closing,” USPS spokesman James Boxed told Cowboy State Daily. “This is only a study, and no Post Offices will close, as delivery remains the same.”
A public meeting has been set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Laramie County Community College, 1400 E. College Drive, in Cheyenne to explain the changes, in CCI Room 130.
Comments about the plan are being taken through Dec. 27 and may be submitted online through Survey Monkey.
Part Of $40 Billion Strategic Plan
Changing the Cheyenne Processing and Distribution Center to an LPC is part of a multi-year process that will spend $40 billion to “modernize the nation’s aging postal processing and delivery network.”
Presently, the Cheyenne center processes all the mail for zip codes that start with 820 through 823, except on Saturdays, when it’s sent to Denver for processing.
If the recommendations of the facility review are adopted, mail would go to Denver for processing on a routine basis.
Facilities reviews are being conducted at selected large postal service centers across America, including Cheyenne. No other Cowboy State postal services were listed among the facilities being reviewed at the postal service’s website.
Other large-scale facilities reviews are happening in Georgia, North Dakota, West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, South Dakota, Main, Texas, Oregon, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Utah, Washington and New Jersey.
While there will be no “career employee” layoffs as a result of the recommendations for the Cheyenne facility, the transfer of some operations would result in a net decrease of four “craft positions,” according to the preliminary findings For the Cheyenne study, available online at the U.S. Postal Services’ website.
No management positions would be lost, and any reassignments will comply with collective bargaining agreements.
Cheyenne would continue to serve as a Local Processing Center, according to the facilities review, with “simplified processes and standardized layouts.”
Cowboy State Daily requested more information about which mail processing services are moving to Denver and which are staying in Cheyenne.
“This is only a study at this point, and we are allowing for public input. We don't have any firm plans and are only in the assessment stage,” Boxrud told Cowboy State Daily in an emailed response to the question.
Plan Will Save Millions
The proposed changes will save between $2.5 million and $3.3 million annually once the Delivering For America initiative is complete, according to preliminary findings of the facilities review for Cheyenne.
A majority of those savings, $2.2 million to $2.9 million, would be realized by reducing transportation costs.
Annual maintenance savings would range between $150,000 to $200,000, while annual mail processing savings would range between $120,000 to $160,000.
Customers are unlikely to notice many changes, according to the conclusions of the facilities study.
Retail and other services available won’t change. Business mail acceptance will remain the same, as will delivery times of mail to residences and businesses.
Commercial mailers who presort mail will continue to receive postage discounts, and mailers who drop ship to a Destination Sectional Center Facility will not see any changes.
