Washington, D.C. – In a letter to United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, U.S. Senator Susan Collins expressed her strong opposition to any consolidation of Maine’s two United States Postal Service (USPS) processing facilities located in Hampden and Scarborough. This comes after USPS announced a study to see if it makes operational sense to consolidate outgoing operations into the Scarborough facility.
“This proposal jeopardizes the reliable delivery of medication for Mainers who rely on mail order pharmacies and deliveries from federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs for their prescriptions, a critical concern for the oldest state in the nation,” Senator Collins wrote. “In addition, residents will certainly see their local mail delayed. Since the pandemic, the Postal Service has struggled to maintain reliable service in Maine. Earlier this year, the USPS Office of Inspector General issued a report noting significant deficiencies with mail operations in southern Maine. Consolidation would only add to the documented challenges USPS is facing in providing reliable service.”
The Hampden facility is important for mail delivery across large parts of Maine. For example, mail sent from Fort Kent to Wallagrass, 10 miles away, is processed in Hampden, 192 miles away. It then returns the following day by truck to Wallagrass, which is 182 miles away. Without the Hampden location, this mail would be transported to Scarborough, 322 miles away from Fort Kent, and then be sent another 312 miles back to Wallgrass. A highway mileage map of Maine can be found here.
In 2012, Senator Collins successfully urged USPS to reject a similar proposal that was being considered to consolidate both facilities. After review, USPS recognized the importance of the facility in Hampden to maintaining reliable operations and meeting USPS’ universal service obligation.