KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Despite the warning that changes will slow down delivery times and increase the risk of crashes, the U.S. Postal Service is moving ahead with consolidation of three Southwest Michigan delivery units into one new Kalamazoo facility June 1.
Under the new plan, the Portage, Schoolcraft, and Kalamazoo-Westwood branch post offices will remain open as retail locations, though their delivery units will be consolidated into one Sorting and Delivery Center in the existing facility on Ninth Street in Oshtemo Township. About 100 carriers will report to the facility beginning June 1.
National Association of Postal Supervisors Michiana-Area Vice President Kevin Trayer says the plan will not work in the interest of carriers and customers, and says it will also stress parking and have a daily impact on traffic in the area surrounding the Ninth Street facility.
The move is part of the U.S. Postal Service’s $40 billion “Delivering for America” plan devised by Postmaster Louis DeJoy. A proposal to reroute mail from the Iron Mountain processing and distribution center in the Upper Peninsula to Wisconsin was put on hold after pressure from Michigan’s U.S. Senator Gary Peters and others is Congress.
West Michigan Congressman Bill Huizinga last summer also called on DeJoy to review the proposed changes in the Kalamazoo area.
The Ninth Street facility in Oshtemo Township has been retrofitted with automated sorting equipment and new electric vehicle charging stations.
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