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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, August 13, 2009

8 Hawaii postal facilities removed from potential consolidation list; 2 at risk

Advertiser Staff

The U.S. Postal Service has eliminated eight Honolulu postal facilities from consideration for consolidation under its Station and Branch Optimization and Consolidation Initiative. The eight that will not be considered for consolidation at this time are:

1. Aina Haina Finance Station
2. Fort Shafter Finance Station
3. Kaimuki Finance Station
4. Kapalama Station
5. Makiki Station
6. Moiliili Finance Station
7. Tripler Army Medical Center Finance Station
8. Waialae Kahala Station

Honolulu postal officials will proceed with studying the possibility of consolidating the following two facilities:

1. MOU #1 (Pearl Harbor)
2. MOU #3 (Makalapa)

Postal Service and military officials are in discussion regarding several scenarios involving the consolidation of services for the customers of the above two facilities.

The next phase of the initiative includes a review of the impact of consolidation on postal customers. A final decision on whether to consolidate one or both of the above postal facilities will be made by September. Should the Station and Branch Optimization and Consolidation Initiative result in a decision to consolidate one or both facilities, such change in service will be made sometime after the beginning of the Postal Service's next fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1.

In the meantime, the Postal Service will continue its ongoing efforts to eliminate costs by adjusting employee work hours, realigning mail carrier routes, reducing energy use and modifying hours of operation at postal facilities.


As mail volumes and revenues decline, the Postal Service must pay greater attention to whether its finite resources are deployed in a manner consistent with its mandate. The objective of the Postal Service Station and Branch Optimization and Consolidation Initiative is to realign its postal retail network with current and future postal customer service needs, to reduce inefficiency and redundancy, and to capture the resulting cost savings. Under this centrally directed program, each of the 74 Postal Service District offices is expected to review stations and branches in its geographic area of responsibility and submit operational consolidation proposals to Headquarters for review and approval.

The Initiative began with an examination of that portion of the retail network consisting of stations and branches located in urban and suburban areas where post offices serve large communities through a network of facilities including a main office, stations, branches, perhaps carrier annexes and other facilities and resources to provide needed collection, mail processing, delivery and retail service. Stations and branches of such post offices provide retail services – often in close proximity to one another.

The U.S. Postal Service receives no taxpayer subsidies for its operating expenses. It relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses.