MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) South Dakota’s congressional delegation opposes the closing of two South Dakota mail processing facilities. Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, along with Congressman Dusty Johnson have sent a letter to US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy decrying the decision to close mail processing centers in Huron and Sioux Falls. The decision of the postal service, if allowed to stand, would leave Rapid City as the only postal processing center left in South Dakota.
The Post Office plans to move the Huron operation to Fargo, North Dakota and the Sioux Falls center’s operation to Omaha, Nebraska. Congressman Johnson pointed out that this consolidation will cause further delays in delivery of the mail, especially during South Dakota’s harsh winters.
These potential closures follow on the heels of the closure of postal customer service centers in Pierre, Mobridge and Aberdeen in 2012.
The members of South Dakota’s congressional delegation point out that the additional transportation costs may cancel out or even outweigh any potential savings by the closure of these postal service centers in Huron and Sioux Falls. Senators Thune and Rounds as well as Congressman Johnson are urging the postal service to reconsider the consolidation.