The US Postal Service will host two public meetings this week to discuss the possibility of closing mail-processing plants in Brockton and Wareham.
Postal officials are considering moving those mail operations to Providence, in an effort to cut costs. According to the preliminary results of a Postal Service feasibility study, as much as $27 million could be saved by consolidating those locations. But local officials worry about the potential loss of hundreds of jobs.
“Of course this is a big deal to us,’’ said Ross Baker, president of the South Shore Area Local 3844 of the American Postal Workers Union. “They’re talking about taking good paying jobs out of Massachusetts.’’
The Brockton plant at 225 Liberty St. employs about 400 people; the Wareham facility at 25 Tobey Road employs approximately 90.
“In this tough economy, any job loss is significant,’’ said Brockton’s mayor, Linda M. Balzotti. “If this facility were to close, it would be another challenge to our ongoing efforts to maintain and expand our employment opportunities for residents of Brockton.’’
Closing the Brockton mail facility would cut approximately 165 positions and could save nearly $21 million in maintenance and staffing costs, while shuttering the Wareham facility would cut 71 positions and could result in $6.5 million in savings, according to the preliminary results of the feasibility study.
The public meeting on the future of the Wareham facility will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Wareham’s Memorial Town Hall, 54 Marion Road.
The meeting about the Brockton facility will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the West Middle School at 271 West St. in Brockton.
At each meeting, postal officials will share their initial findings and allow citizens to ask questions and provide feedback.
“We’ll be soliciting public comment at the meeting and for 15 days afterward,’’ said Postal Service spokeswoman Maureen P. Marion.
Those who cannot attend the meetings may submit their comments in writing. Comments should be addressed to: Manager, Consumer and Industry, USPS Greater Boston District, 25 Dorchester Ave., Boston, MA 02205-0098.
Marion said all options are still on the table: For example, the Brockton mail processing plant could close and all operations could move to Providence; only some of the operations might be relocated; or the Brockton plant could remain open.
Brockton and Wareham are among several mail-processing facilities in Massachusetts that the Postal Service has been studying for possible closure or consolidation. The other facilities are in Boston, Lowell, North Reading, Shrewsbury, and Waltham.
Similar studies are underway elsewhere across the country, as the Postal Service aims to save $3 billion a year by closing and consolidating mail-processing facilities and lengthening first-class mail delivery by one day. (First-class mail is now delivered within a window of one to three days; the new service standard would become two to three days.)
Postal officials say restructuring is necessary because mail volume is declining. Over the past five years, first-class mail has dropped 25 percent and stamped letters have declined by 36 percent, according to Marion.
“We need to look at what creates the most efficiency for the Postal Service,’’ said Marion.
