BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The United Postal Service has announced that after finalizing a Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR) no changes will be made at the USPS facility on William Street in Buffalo.
Mark Lawrence, a Strategic Communications Specialist for the USPS, said in part:
"There will be no changes at the Buffalo facility as part of this MPFR process. Business mail entry, Post Office, station, branch retail services and delivery services will remain unchanged."
In early January, USPS announced the Buffalo Processing & Distribution Center was among more than two dozen processing sites across the U.S. that would have a Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR) conducted. The USPS said this is part of a $40 billion investment strategy to "upgrade and improve the Postal processing, transportation, and delivery networks."
About two weeks later, the USPS said that the initial results of the facility review supported keeping the facility open and modernizing it as a Local Processing Center (LPC). In addition, the USPS said the business case supported transferring some mail processing operations to the Rochester Processing & Distribution Center. You can find the key findings from the review here.
The initial findings led to concerns for workers and the American Postal Workers Union about what would happen to the William Street facility.
WATCH: 'There's a lot of angst': Concern over the future of USPS facility on William Street in Buffalo
About a week later, the workers and the union gathered with elected leaders to call on the USPS to make sure the facility stayed put.
Last month, dozens from Buffalo and Rochester gathered outside of the facility for an informational picket with one simple message — "save our service."
WATCH: 'This is not what Western New York wants': Picket to save USPS facility on William Street in Buffalo
The USPS then hosted a public meeting in which all made their voices heard.
WATCH: ‘It should stay there': Community speaks out at meeting on future of USPS facility on William Street
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement Friday which said in part:
"I personally called Postmaster DeJoy to make sure he heard the voices of Western NY loud and clear. Our hardworking postal workers work day in and day out to deliver high-quality mail service throughout Western NY, and USPS’s planned transfer of operations for Buffalo’s William Street Postal Facility put our local mail service and dedicated postal workers’ jobs at risk. In January, I pushed to get answers from USPS on their plans for our local communities, and today, I am here to say USPS will not move forward with any plans that will reduce mail service or negatively impact workers."
This is not the first time there has been uncertainty surrounding the facility. In 2011, the USPS included it on a list of closures and there was a fight against it. In May 2012 the Postmaster announced the facility would remain open.
