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 The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passes through downtown Wapakoneta Wednesday, September 1. Staff photo/William Laney By CARLA MEYER
Staff Writer
For 45 minutes, the roar of motorcycles could be heard passing under an American flag hanging from two ladder trucks. For 45 minutes, area residents gathered in the shadow of the Auglaize County Courthouse and Wapakoneta Fire Station waved and clapped as motorcyclists rode by.
The smiles and waves turned into clapping and cheers as the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passed down Willipie Street on its way to Custenborder Field in Sidney where it was greeted by a field of American flags.
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Tuesday, 24 November 2009 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
The U.S. Postal Service processing plant in Lima did not appear on a list released Friday by the agency of branches and stations being considered for closure as reported by the Wapakoneta Daily News.
But the facility still appears on a separate list of area mail processing plants under study for closure, prompting union officials to stress the importance that residents and government officials continue to make their feelings known through letters and resolutions to post office administrators and members of Congress as well as at a possible hearing.
Local American Postal Workers Union President Laura Kessen said they are waiting on word from district Post Office administrators on what the next step is.
“We are waiting on the results of a study — it was supposed to be by Nov. 15, but they have not issued that yet,” Kessen told the Wapakoneta Daily News. “I don’t know if the reason they are waiting is to see if the process is going to continue and they have to know the date and time of the public hearing at the time of its release.
“If they deem the process should continue then they hold a public hearing, that is where we need the public input and the public coming in and asking questions,” she said.
She explained the difference between processing facilities and branches and stations — which are retail operations or offices, such as the post office in Cridersville, Uniopolis or St. Johns. She said there were none in the Lima-Wapakoneta area, but there are many in Ohio in the larger cities.
There are four area mail processing plants in the district — Cincinnati, Dayton, Lima and Toledo. The feasibility study was to determine if “efficiency cold be increased by consolidating mail processing operations” at Lima and Toledo.
Workers from the Lima plant have visited government entities within the 458 prefix zip code area seeking support. On Nov. 16, Wapakoneta City Council members passed a resolution that a second study be conducted by Congress and that they support keeping the plant open if moving the processing operations is detrimental to delivery and service.
The U.S. Postal Service lists 67 studies in various stages from recently being completed to still undergoing the feasibility study phase.
There are four locations in Ohio including Canton, Lima, Mansfield and Zanesville.
Canton mail processing has been consolidated with Akron, while the Mansfield and Zanesville study showed no substantial benefit although the Zanesville process could be revisited.
U.S. Postal Service spokesman David Walton said the entire process typically takes 4 to 6 months to complete. He said once the study is completed and if a public hearing needs to be held that it must be held within 15 days of the study’s release.
The study assesses the entire facility from equipment use to the volume being trucked.
Feasibility studies and consolidation efforts are being pursued to stem the loss of money by the Post Office, which officials reported last week lost $3.8 billion on the end of its fiscal year. For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the Post Office had an income of $68.1 billion, $6.8 billion less than in 2008. Expenditures were down $5.9 billion to $71.8 billion.
Total mail volume in 2009 was 177.1 billion pieces, compared to 202.7 billion pieces in 2008 — a decline of 13 percent.
To help save money, Postmaster General John Potter recommended reducing mail delivery to five days each week from six days
According to a pamphlet distributed by union members, the Lima plant ranks third in the nation out of 268 processing plants, while Toledo ranks 16th. Lima ranks 51 in high-speed sorting sites, while Toledo ranks 254. Postal delivery trucks for the daily 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. deliver is typically on schedule 67 percent of the time, while Lima trucks are on time 91 percent of the time.
If the plant is closed, it would affect approximately 115 workers.
Wapakoneta Mayor Rodney Metz said he forwarded the resolution passed by councilors to Congressional members from Ohio and he made copies available for union representatives to send to postal officials and members of Congress.
He also said he would lead a contingency to voice the city’s opinion at a public hearing if it was held in Lima.
“I would be in favor of leading a delegation from Wapakoneta to show our support for keeping the mail processing center in Lima open,” Metz said Tuesday. “I feel the plant is beneficial to the area, not only in job retention but in maintaining a high level of service and quality for residents in the 458 zip code area.”
Allen Economic Development Group Vice President Jeff Sprague said they would support keeping the processing plant open for the benefit of not just Allen County but for the entire region which includes nine counties and communities as far away as Fort Recovery to North Baltimore.
“I think one of the most important things is the impact it would have on mail delivery in the entire region,” Sprague said. “We are looking at 61 percent of the existing mail collected in the 458 zip code area stays within the 458 zip code. To actually take a great percentage of that mail to Toledo to sort to have return to the 458 zip code, I think we would see delayed service and increased cost for businesses within the entire region.”
Sprague said a post card sorted at the Lima mail processing center has next day delivery, while with that mail moving Toledo those cards could take as many as 10 days.
“Hospitals getting information out in terms of medication or procedures would be delayed, educational institutions that need to get information out to students or their parents would be delayed — so we are communicating that impact to a number of our businesses in the area,” Sprague said. “A number of them are aware of this and the potential increase in costs that could be associated with the movement of the mail processing center.
“We are working with area businesses so we have an organized effort when the Postal Service lays out their plan that we can respond to each component of their findings,” he said.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 November 2009 )
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