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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, July 30, 2009

10 postal facilities across Oahu on possible closure list


Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

The Waialae-Kahala post office may be forced to close as the U.S. Post Office decides which branches or stations to shut in an effort to save money.

NORMAN SHAPIRO | The Honolulu Advertiser

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The U.S. Postal Service in Hawai'i has identified 10 postal facilities on Oahu as part of a study to determine whether to close any of its 104 post offices, stations and branches across the state as part of a national effort to stem billion-dollar losses due to the rise of text messaging, e-mail and other forms of electronic communication.

On the list of possible closures are the post offices in Aina Haina, Kaimuki, Kapalama, Makiki, Moiliili, Waialae-Kahala and post offices at Tripler Army Medical Center and Fort Shafter. Also being considered for closure are two small postal service money order offices, one at Pearl Harbor and the other at nearby Pacific Fleet headquarters in Makalapa.
The increased use of electronic communication has resulted in a dramatic decline in mail volume, demand for USPS retail service and revenue that drove the Postal Service to a $2.8 billion loss last year.
And that amount was nearly matched in the first half of this year.
To cut spending, the Postal Service announced that it will consider closing or reducing service at 3,200 of the nation's 27,200 postal stations and branches and will evaluate another 1,600 offices for possible action depending on the outcome of the initial closures.
The Postal Service does not receive a taxpayer subsidy.