The U.S. Postal Service won’t be closing its Hampden mail processing facility.
That comes after the Postal Service conducted a review of the facilities operations late last year as part of the agency’s 10-year plan to invest $40 billion in its operations.
Earlier this month, the Postal Service told the American Postal Workers Union, which represents workers at the facility, that it will “remain open and will be modernized,” according to the Portland Press Herald.
Questions swirled about the future of the Hampden facility after the office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins raised concerns about the Postal Service study that included examining whether to consolidate its services with another mail center 130 miles away in Scarborough.
Collins opposed that move, saying any consolidation would create hardships and delays for Mainers, especially those who rely on the Postal Service to get mail-order medication.
That prompted the unionized workers at the Hampden mail facility to begin preparing for the worst-case scenario and getting ready to take their case for preserving the center to the public.
A Postal Service spokesperson told the Bangor Daily News last month that closing the Hampden mail facility wasn’t part of any plan.
Even as the facility appears to have avoided closure, union officials told the Press Herald that some envisioned changes could “greatly” change the processing facility and lead to a reduction in force. The reduced workforce could happen either through attrition or relocation, but it remains unclear.
The Postal Service will hold an information meeting for the public at 4 p.m. Feb. 2 at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer.
In 2012, the Postal Service announced plans to close the Hampden facility. It provoked fierce opposition from the community and the state’s congressional delegation. The Postal Service eventually walked back that plan and kept the distribution running.