by Molly Young
A dramatic decline in mail volume has prompted recent Albion postal route adjustments, said Tracy Stamp, Albion postmaster.
“With the economy the way it is, it affects mail volume immensely,” said Stamp.
Consequently, the U.S. Postal Service implemented cost-effective postal route and delivery changes. These adjustments allow the postal service to remain viable and provide consistent mail delivery, Stamp said.
In Albion, these changes resulted in redistribution of the town’s two postal delivery routes, “City 1” and “City 2.” The redistribution did not affect rural routes surrounding Albion, Stamp said.
By contract, the “City 1” carrier route is an eight-hour position every day except Sunday, Stamp said. The route runs from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. But, the declining mail volume affected the time required to complete the route.
“When the route drops so much, the carrier doesn’t have an eight hour day,” she said.
Therefore, Albion’s postal routes were realigned in November to accommodate the drop in mail volume. The “City 2” route, which was a four-hour route, now takes about three hours, Stamp said.
Complete details in the Albion News Print Edition.
