As hundreds of cyclists poured through the Summit City, there was hope that the event would not only bring some exercise and entertainment to the participants but hopefully a changed view of the community in general.Changes in where a stamped envelope goes after you put it in a mailbox might be coming.
Amid a continuous decline in mail volume, the U.S. Postal Service is conducting a study that will explore the possibility of combining Fort Wayne’s mail processing center with the one in South Bend.
Such a move wouldn’t hurt customer service, according to the postal service, but it could affect more than 200 people who work at Fort Wayne’s processing center.
“Some employees might have to transfer to a different location, and some employees would be assigned to new jobs,” postal service spokesman Tim Ratliff said of the possible consolidation.
The study is only looking at moving Fort Wayne’s mail processing center duties to South Bend, Ratliff said.
When you drop a stamped piece of mail in any Fort Wayne mailbox, it’s sent to the processing center within the city. If the consolidation happens, it will instead go to South Bend, though Ratliff said there will be no delays in delivery time.
The postal service said the move is being looked at as a way to cut costs and make service more efficient.
With high Internet use and a down economy, mail volume has dropped 20 percent since 2007, according to the postal service.
“Consolidating processing operations and placing our people where we need them makes logical business sense given the economic realities,” said Lynn Smith, district manager for the greater Indiana district.
“We’re only doing what any company would do when it’s hit with a 20 percent decline in business.”
If the study finds that consolidation is the postal service’s best option, a public meeting will be conducted to allow members of the community to ask questions and provide feedback.
