The Terre Haute Post Office facility on West Margaret Avenue has undergone a major upgrade aimed at providing more efficient service for area customers and a better work environment for employees, according to postal officials.
The facility at 150 W. Margaret Ave. now includes what is called the Terre Haute Sorting and Delivery Center, and it’s one of the first 31 facilities nationwide undergoing the improvements.
It’s part of the Postal Services 10-year Delivering for America plan to make the Postal Service “an efficient, high-performing, world class logistics and delivery provider,” according to a news release. It represents a $40 billion investment nationwide.
The 10-year plan calls for up to 400 Sorting and Delivery Centers nationwide.
The Postal Service offered a media tour of the Terre Haute improvements Tuesday.
The investments at the facility cost several millions dollars, officials say, although no exact dollar figure was available. A major goal is faster and more reliable mail and package delivery in the Terre Haute area.
One major improvement in terms of equipment/ technology is an automated small package sorting machine, which can sort 2,800 small parcels per hour.
Previously, the work was done by clerks who sorted about 200 to 300 parcels per hour.
“It has increased the productivity on sorting, and it’s getting mail to the customer sooner,” said Tim Williams, local manager of post office operations.
No one is losing a job as a result of the automation, he said. “Everyone is still employed, but we have different things for them to do.”
Gregg Thurston, Indiana district coordinator for sorting and delivery centers, said the machine sorts small packages for the carrier routes, “which gets the carriers out earlier in the morning and everyone wants their mail as early in the day as possible.”
The machine does not sort letters or periodical-type mail.
The overall project also includes renovated bathrooms and breakrooms for Postal Service employees.
The break room shown in the tour has a new color scheme, new furniture, new appliances and LED lighting.
While the Postal Service 10-year plan looks at improving service to customers, it’s also aimed at improving the work environment for employees, said Susan Wright, USPS communications specialist. The existing Terre Haute main facility opened in 1997; it currently has 154 employees and includes 80 routes The improvements also are paving the way for future electric delivery vehicles.
The west side of the facility now has 76 charging stations and could receive the electric vehicles in the next year or two, although there is no specific timeline.
Electric vehicles are better for the environment, especially when considering carriers might be using their delivery vehicles six to eight hours per day, Thurston said.
The Postal Service, an independent federal establishment, generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
The 10-year Delivering for America plan is intended to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability and “dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories,” according to a news release.