SF Postal Service considers closing downtown office

From the Santa Fe New Mexican - by Chris Quintana - The financially strapped U.S. Postal Service is considering ending at least some services at the downtown post office, 120 Federal Place, as part of cost-cutting measures. Public details on possible changes at the downtown site are sparse and conflicted, but Peter Hass, a Postal Service spokesman based in Arizona, said Tuesday that representatives for the agency intend to discuss their plans during a Nov. 28 meeting of the Santa Fe City Council.
Hass said a closing of the downtown post office could include removal of post office boxes where some residents collect their mail. “It’s not a final decision,” Hass said. “It’s just something we’re considering.”
The downtown location also is home to a distribution center through which local mail flows to and from a processing center in Albuquerque. It’s unclear what officials have in mind for that operation, or whether the drive-by drop boxes near the post office would be affected by any move. The Associated Press reported in August that the Postal Service suffered a $5.2 billion loss from April to June of 2012, and that it defaulted on payments to the U.S. Treasury and future retiree health benefits.
The Postal Service, which has seen a decrease in mail volume and has instituted a series of increases in postage rates, also has tried to close low-revenue offices in rural areas as a cost-cutting measure. Public opposition halted that plan. Instead, some sites now have shorter hours of operations. Read more

SF Postal Service considers closing downtown office