Mail Delay Worries Local Businesses
The U.S. Postal Service’s plan to close down the Pocatello Mail Processing Center could mean bad news for local businesses.
With the closure of the Gateway Station, local businesses will see a big delay in getting their mail.
Idaho State University is a big part of the local economy and sends out a lot of mail.
“We handle probably about a million pieces of outgoing mail and standard bulk mail,? ISU Postal Service Manager Julie Kelly said.
The USPS plans to shut down mail distribution in Pocatello and send all the region’s mail to Salt Lake City.
The postal service said the move to SLC will add a day or two to the time it takes mail to get delivered in the region.
But Kelly said it will likely be a longer delay.
“It’s going to be more like three to four days to get to Salt Lake, turn around, and get back to Pocatello,? Kelly said.
Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad said that’s not exactly a selling point to big businesses looking at the region.
“When it comes to your major mailers and larger corporations and things like that, we’re at an economic disadvantage,? Blad said.
Blad also said delays in bills, and checks can have a devastating impact on smaller businesses.
“It can be very detrimental to our small businesses. Absolutely, it can destroy a small business, as I see it,? Blad said.
Kelly said these delays aren’t just going to affect businesses and large organizations, but mean some changes for everybody.
“Because with billing it’s going to affect how that’s going to be handled. So it is something that’s going to affect everybody,? Kelly said.
The local mail processing center won’t be closing anytime soon. Before that could happen the Postal Service would have to build a whole new facility in Salt Lake City, which could take up to two years.
