The United States Postal Service announced in an April 7 news release it plans to retain certain local mail-processing operations at the Grand Junction postal facility.

About those plans, it said, “This means mail being delivered from one address in Grand Junction to another will not leave the region for processing. This update follows a previous USPS decision to shift all originating mail processing operations to Denver in 2024.”

And ultimately, that means: “In simpler terms, single piece mail that is sent from Grand Junction to be delivered in Grand Junction will continue to be processed at its current location.”

According to the news release, the decision to leave those operations in Grand Junction is made possible due to an operational strategy aimed at increasing efficiency, improving service quality, and saving USPS an additional $3 billion per-year nationwide. This strategy was outlined in its request for an advisory opinion filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The news release added, “The significant savings generated by this operational strategy would enable the Postal Service to absorb the cost of continuing to provide local cancellation service in Grand Junction. As a result, the Postal Service will not need to relocate certain local originating mail-processing operations outside of the Grand Junction facility.”

Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino commented as well, saying, “Our operational strategy will generate substantial savings for the Postal Service. This strategy provides a solution that will ensure our organization can cover the cost of local originating mail processing operations in the Grand Junction facility.

“Moreover, our Delivering for America plan is channeling up to $6.3 million into upgrading the Grand Junction facility. This investment goes beyond just enhancing the work environment for our employees. It’s about equipping the facility with the necessary technology and resources to deliver top-notch service to the local community for the foreseeable future.”

According to the news release, once the Grand Junction facility becomes a Local Processing Center (LPC), it is expected to handle package mailing and shipping, letters and flats. The LPC is also expected to offer express services and accept bulk and permit mail, further improving its delivery services.

The Postal Service initially anticipated staffing impacts due to the proposed move of certain local originating mail processing operations to Denver. However, with the decision to keep these operations at the Grand Junction facility, there would be no anticipated employee impacts.

This remains consistent with the stance taken in April 2024, where no career layoffs were part of the initiative. In fact, as part of its investment strategy in the Grand Junction facility, the Postal Service is focusing on enhancing package processing and shipping capacity. This could potentially lead to increased plant activity and a future need for additional staffing support.