The U.S. Postal Service has begun conducting surveys and public meetings in order to implement a plan reducing hours at 13,000 nationwide post offices, U.S. Rep. Mark S. Critz, D-12th District, said Tuesday.
The POSTPlan includes reduced hours at 129 post offices in the 12th Congressional District. The plan will survey local residents and solicit community input to help determine the best course of action for providing postal services to local communities, Critz said.
"Through the efforts of local residents, we successfully fought the U.S. Postal Service's plan to close 35 area post offices," Critz said. "But because Congress refuses to act to help solve the Postal Service's fiscal problems, they are being forced to reduce hours at 13,000 post offices across the nation."
"In the coming weeks and months, the U.S. Postal Service will be sending local residents a letter and survey explaining the POSTPlan process. The results of this survey will help to determine future post office hours of operations,"?he said. "And it's crucial that residents respond to the questions to help show the importance of post offices in our rural communities."
No local post offices were listed for POSTplan public meetings now taking place through Oct. 26, according to the Save the Post Office website.
The website offers information on proposed post office closings and consolidations and ways to take action in order to save them.
The website said there are some problems with the surveys and meetings such as not everyone getting mailed a survey; the survey wording not making clear that three of the options people are given to pick from would close a post office; and meeting times taking place during the work day in small post office lobbies.
Last year, the U.S. Postal Service announced plans to close as many as 3,700 rural post offices in 2012.
