ARMOREL -- Plans appear to be in place to reduce the operating hours of the United States post office at Armorel, as part of the U.S. Postal Service's national cost-cutting measures.
A community meeting was held in July for area residents to ask questions and voice concerns, and a document from the Postal Service's website about closures lists Armorel as an office whose hours will reduce from 8 to 4 daily.
According to an open letter to its customers, the USPS is resuming its "network rationalization" plan, which began in 2012 with the consolidation of 141 mail-processing facilities. Over the past three years, the Postal Service has recorded financial losses of $26 billion, and the plan to consolidate some facilities as well as reduce hours in others, without actually closing many smaller locations, is expected to generate $750 million in savings, in addition to the $865 million saved in the first wave.
Calls to Arkansas Postal Service officials in Little Rock were unreturned as of press time Friday, but more details will be shared as they come available.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com