WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Angie Craig is urging United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to work with local leaders and find a solution to improve mail service in Farmington and Lakeville.
In a letter, Rep. Craig highlighted how opening the joint post office would address the numerous capacity, storage and delivery issues facing USPS in two of Minnesota’s fastest growing cities.
“From July 2020 to July 2021 alone, Lakeville experienced a population growth rate of 3.8%, the fastest in Minnesota according to the Census Bureau. Furthermore, Lakeville is expected to reach a population of 85,000 as it continues to expand. I have repeatedly heard from constituents about poor mail delivery service. Additionally, the City of Farmington has expressed interest in relocating their current post office to better accommodate the safety and growth of a nearby school,” wrote Rep. Craig.
“Opening a local office near the border of Lakeville and Farmington would allow for improvements to be made in the efficiency of mail sorting and delivery while solving problems for each of the cities as they continue to grow,” she continued.
Rep. Craig’s letter is part of her continued efforts to address the persistent postal delivery delays and issues confronting Minnesotans.
Farmington Mayor Joshua Hoyt and Lakeville Mayor Luke Hellier joined Rep. Craig’s call for action from the Postmaster General.
“Farmington supports a collaboration with the City of Lakeville and the U.S. Post Office to combine our facilities and resources for mail delivery. The consistent disruptions to our local mail delivery system are neither desirable, nor sustainable. We believe this is a shining example of how neighboring communities can work together to better serve our residents,” said Mayor Hoyt.
“A new post office will facilitate smoother mail and package deliveries and contribute to our community’s growth and convenience. We wholeheartedly welcome Congresswoman Craig’s efforts and look forward to working together to make this project a reality,” said Mayor Hellier.
Earlier this month, Rep. Craig joined U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith in calling on Postmaster General DeJoy to quickly address a payroll system error that resulted in an estimated 53,000 rural letter carriers missing their September 1st paycheck.
A full copy of the letter can be found here