Pocatello-Chubbuck delegation meets with USPS in Washington
A delegation of leaders in the Pocatello-Chubbuck community met with a U.S. Postal Service operations management team Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to push them to restore mail processing operations in the Flandro Drive center.
The delegation included Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad, Chubbuck Mayor Kevin England,Pocatello planning and development services director Lon Cromwell, Bannock County commissioner Howard Manwaring, and Old Town Inc. executive director Stephanie Palagi.
Over the phone, Blad said the hour-long meeting went very well, saying the USPS team took their concerns about mail delays “very seriously.”
No definite changes have been made after the meeting, but Blad said things are headed toward the right direction.
“They have committed to report back to us in a week on findings they find (based on) what we’ve given them,” Blad said. “We have our expectations that they will follow through with their commitments to review our concerns and improve service levels to southeast Idaho.”
In a statement emailed to KIFI/KIDK, USPS said service is continuously measured by an independent contractor every day. In those scores, southeast Idaho has scored consistently in the 90s.
The USPS also said the reasons that lead to the decision to close mail processing operations at the center in February 2012 haven’t changed. Particularly, the decline in mail volume in the Pocatello area.
The USPS said the center continues to process mail for delivery on Pocatello’s carrier routes. Also, it remains open as a post office, transportation hub and bulk mail entry unit.
