FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Following a business review and assessing public feedback, the United States Postal Service (USPS) confirmed it will "modernize" the Northwest Arkansas Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) by turning it into a Local Processing Center (LPC).
The new Northwest Arkansas LPC will use Oklahoma City as its new processing and distribution center. USPS hopes to reach 95% on-time delivery with the new plan.
"There will be no service impacts with the implementation of these changes," USPS said. "Mail will be processed in Oklahoma City on the day it is collected and returned to Northwest Arkansas in sufficient time for on-time delivery."
The Postal Service said there will be no career layoffs in this transition.
U.S. Rep. Womack, who met with U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Jan. 9 to express concerns over the potential changes to the Northwest Arkansas facility, told 5NEWS he was disappointed by the Postal Service's latest decision.
"I’m disappointed in the decision, but I’m hopeful USPS will stay true to their promise of no career layoffs and 95% on-time delivery for all mail products throughout Northwest Arkansas," Womack said. "I’ll continue to closely monitor this transition and ensure the Postal Service is held accountable to their commitment."
In late November, USPS announced it was considering moving its P&DC out of Northwest Arkansas based on a Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR) they conducted that recommended keeping the center open but changing it to a local processing center.
Since the processing center moved from Fort Smith to Fayetteville in 2012, the MPFR found demands for flat mail have declined and package volume has increased.
The Northwest Arkansas LPC is a part of the Postal Service's Delivering For America (DFA) plan. This national plan will take 10 years and $40 billion in efforts to "revitalize the Postal Service and allow it to meet the service expectations of our current and future customers, achieve financial stability, and bring this essential national institution into the 21st century," the letter said.
According to the USPS, they will put up to $3.3 million in investments toward maintenance and modernization efforts for the Northwest Arkansas facility, including "expanded and streamlined package processing and distribution capabilities in the local market and new workplace amenities for USPS employees."
Once the LPC is complete, the USPS anticipates it will be able to mail and ship packages, manual letters, and flats, as well as offer express services and accept bulk and permit mail.
They did not provide a timeline for when the transition for the Northwest Arkansas facility will be complete.
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