The U.S. Postal Service will host a meeting on Feb. 29 to share initial results of a Hampden facility review and collect public feedback.
The postal service revealed in November that it was reviewing the Hampden mail processing facility as part of its 10-year plan to invest $40 billion into operations. The agency told the American Postal Workers Union last month that the facility will remain open and be modernized, but some mail processing operations will move to the Scarborough facility roughly 130 miles away.
Some of Maine’s postal workers are worried a consolidation of operations could lead to job losses and worse service. In recent weeks, they were rallying support by informing government officials and the public about a potential consolidation.
Now members of the public will have a chance to weigh in. The meeting is slated for 4 p.m. Feb. 29, at Jeff’s Catering & Event Center at 15 Event Center Way in Brewer.
A meeting was initially scheduled for Friday, but the postal service postponed it last week. The agency’s director of government relations and public policy, Scott Slusher, wrote that further time is needed to finalize specific improvements that could be implemented at the Hampden facility.
In a Thursday notice announcing the new date, the postal service wrote that the purpose of conducting the review and implementing its 10-year plan is to improve delivery services and retail experience.
Business mail entry, post office, station and branch retail services are not expected to change, and delivery services will not slow down as a result of the review, the USPS wrote.
The agency wrote that when the Hampden facility is modernized, it could become a local processing center, sorting and delivery center or both. Any of those options would result in an updated facility with improvements to employee amenities and the working environment, the USPS wrote, though it did not provide specifics.
As part of the review process, members of the public are able to submit comments online. They can do so up to 15 days after the meeting.