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May 17, 2012

Hampden mail facility to stay open until 2014

The U.S. Postal Service has changed its plans and will keep its Hampden processing facility open for at least another two years. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said he approved new standards for overnight mail delivery that will spare the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Center from consolidation.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins told the Bangor Daily News that the plan will keep the Hampden facility running until 2014. A public announcement, however, won't happen until 11:30 today, according to Bloomberg. Despite the overnight mail standards, USPS will still close about 120 of its processing plants over the next year, down from the 223 it initially proposed for closure or consolidation, Bloomberg reported.

Earlier this month, the USPS announced a new strategy to keep more than 3,500 rural post offices, including 30 in Maine, open but with shortened hours. The changes will be implemented over the next two years.

USPS lost $3.2 billion in the second quarter, $1 billion more than it lost in the same quarter of last year. It's looking to cut expenses by $22.5 billion by 2016 in order to continue operating, according to a press release.

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