UPDATE

Montana USPS mail processing center to close

Posted: Sep 26, 2012 1:47 PM by MTN News

KALISPELL - The U.S. Postal Service has announced that they will close their mail processing center in Kalispell and move the sorting operations to Missoula.

"Given the drastic 20 percent decline in mail volume the Postal Service has experienced since 2007, we must take action to reduce the size of our mail processing network. Consolidating operations and placing our people where we need them is necessary if the Postal Service is to remain viable to provide mail service to the nation," Dakotas District Manager Roy Reynolds said in a prepared statement.

"I understand our employees' concern over this move," Reynolds added, "but the consolidation makes sense given the fiscal realities. The Missoula Customer Service Mail Processing Facility has the capacity to handle the additional workload and we can realize significant savings by shifting operations there."

The Kalispell center is expected to shut down by March, 2013. USPS officials say in a news release that, "as a result of this action, staffing adjustments will be made. Every effort will be made to assist affected employees explore their options."

Local mail delivery will not be affected by the move.

We'll have more on this developing story as information becomes available.