Mainers could wait longer for mail if Hampden processing facility closes - Bangor Daily News

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Residents of eastern and northern Maine could experience mail delays if the United States Postal Service decides to close the mail processing facility in Hampden.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office revealed Thursday that the postal service recently announced a study of the Hampden facility. It would explore whether it makes sense to consolidate operations in Hampden to the facility in Scarborough, roughly 130 miles away, Collins said.

The senator opposes the move and asked the postal service to halt any efforts to consolidate. Collins wrote in a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that consolidating the facilities would have a detrimental effect on services and postal customers in Maine.

The Hampden facility allows the postal service to maintain reliable operations, and without it Maine residents will see delays in the delivery of their local mail, Collins said. In 2012, a similar idea to close the Hampden facility was proposed, but it was ultimately rejected.

“This proposal jeopardizes the reliable delivery of medication for Mainers who rely on mail order pharmacies and deliveries from federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs for their prescriptions, a critical concern for the oldest state in the nation,” Collins wrote in the letter, dated Wednesday.

Some businesses are intentionally located near the Hampden location, known as the USPS Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Facility, Collins wrote to DeJoy.

“Businesses cannot simply relocate to Scarborough, taking jobs vital to the region with them,” she wrote.

Stephen Doherty, a regional spokesperson for the postal service, did not answer questions from the Bangor Daily News on Thursday. But he provided a news release that said a “Mail Processing Facility Review” will happen in Hampden this month, which is not expected to disrupt customer service much.

As part of the postal service’s 10-year Delivering for America plan, it is investing $40 billion to modernize the nation’s aging postal processing and delivery network, according to the release.

“The organization is assessing how this facility can best support service and operational goals, as well as provide platforms for launching new products and competitive services for mailing and shipping customers in the future,” the release said.

In Collins’ letter, she provided an example of the “clear geographic necessity” for having two mail processing facilities in Maine.

Mail sent from Fort Kent to Wallagrass 10 miles away travels to the Hampden facility, which is 192 miles away, for processing, she said. It returns the following day by truck to Wallagrass, which is 182 miles away.

“These are already long distances, but without the Eastern Maine P&DC, this mail would instead be transported to Scarborough, 322 miles away from Fort Kent, and then get trucked another 312 miles back to Wallagrass,” she wrote.

As part of the postal service’s review process, public input will be considered, and community members can submit written comments online. If the review supports changes to Hampden’s operations, the postal service would hold a meeting to collect feedback from the public.

Phone calls to the Hampden facility were not returned Thursday afternoon.