POCATELLO — In a fight to stop the closure of the U.S. Postal Service Mail Processing Center on Flandro Drive that has been ongoing for three years, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad is hosting a town hall meeting at City Hall Monday from 6 to 8 p.m.

    Although Mayor Blad invited leadership in the U.S. Postal Service to attend, including Western Area Vice President Drew Aliperto and Postmaster General Megan Brennan, they have declined.

    “When I made the invitations, I was pretty sure the USPS officials would not want to attend,” Mayor Blad said. “But I felt it was important to give them the opportunity to speak to the individuals they serve.”

    Blad said the closure of the mail processing center on or about April 18 will have an adverse impact on Pocatello and the surrounding region. He has asked USPS officials involved in the decision-making process to attend to explain why rural Idaho’s mail service is targeted.  

    The specific topics of discussion will be:

    n Economic impact including loss of jobs and hardships for businesses.

    n Reduction in service with elimination of traditional overnight first class service for Southeast Idaho.

    n Fairness in service or underwriting the cost of superior service for cities like Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston.

    Representatives from the American Postal Workers Union and National Association of Letter Carriers, as well as members of the local committee fighting the closure, will be on the panel to discuss what citizens should expect with the delays in USPS service.

    They will also talk about their experiences with the delays already starting at the Flandro facility.

    USPS regional spokesman Brian Sperry did issue a press release Friday that addresses some of the expressed concerns about the closure of the Flandro Drive facility.

    “The intent of consolidating mail processing operations from one or more postal facilities to other facilities is to improve operational efficiency without sacrificing jobs,” the release stated. “We have far too much infrastructure necessary for the dwindling amount of First Class Mail volume and a growing package business.”

    Sperry said the decision to move Pocatello’s operations to Salt Lake City was made in  February 2012 following a public meeting and comment period.

    “The facts presented at the public meeting more than three years ago remain unchanged,” Sperry said in the news release.

    The release stated that delivery standards for First-Class stamped mail are national standards implemented Jan. 5 and will not change when mail processing operations are consolidated from Pocatello to Salt Lake City.

    “Pocatello is no more — and no less — impacted than any other community in the country,” Sperry said. “The change affects only 9 percent of all mail, and means local stamped First-Class Mail is now delivered in two days instead of one. Delivery standards for packages did not change.”

    The release said single-piece First-Class Mail, which includes personal correspondence, bill payments and greeting cards, has declined 53 percent in the past 10 years.

    In 2012 and 2013, USPS consolidated 141 mail processing facilities.

    “This network change was highly successful, with negligible service impact, no employee layoffs and annual cost savings of approximately $865 million,” Sperry said. “As we work through the final phase of 82 locations, changes including the Pocatello consolidation are projected to generate an additional $750 million in annual savings and help launch additional growth opportunities for the package side of the Postal Service’s business.” The release said there will be a methodical transition for employees in the impacted facilities.

    The building at 1750 Flandro Dr. in Pocatello will remain open as a post office for customer retail transactions and will also serve as a transportation hub and Bulk Mail Entry Unit.