In response to concerned inquiries by patrons of the Bristol post office, Rep. Mark Souder has sent a letter to the inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service. The entire letter, dated January 15, 2010, can be viewed online at bristolbugle.com. Vital information for the letter was provided by Cory Martin, Souder’s regional director at his Goshen office, who had attended the December meeting of the Bristol Town Council.

In the letter Souder noted that he had “been contacted by multiple towns” asking about the consolidation of rural carrier routes and what these changes “might mean in the long term.” Shipshewana and Winona Lake are two of those towns, like Bristol, that are concerned that consolidation might be “a first step toward the eventual closing” of their post offices.

Rep. Souder then posed several questions to the inspector general, reflecting some of the specific concerns on the minds of Bristol residents. “First, is there a list of post offices in Indiana that are currently going through the consolidation process?” He went on to ask if those offices on the list are all in leased buildings, and if those in leased facilities are more likely to be selected for future closings.

The congressman then made reference to news reports that postal route consolidations would save up to $1.5 million “in the 465 ZIP code area.” He then wrote: “I would like to see a specific (his emphasis) breakdown of where those cost savings will be realized.”

Finally, Souder stated: “I assume there was a report, based on a study that set the criteria used to determine which post offices would be affected by a carrier consolidation. Can a copy of the report be sent to my Goshen District Office?”

As of February 3, no reply had been received to Souder’s January 15 letter. Cory Martin has confirmed that the USPS is in receipt of the letter. Souder’s office will follow up with a phone call on Monday, February 8, to determine when a reply might be expected. As soon as the inspector general responds to Souder’s inquiries, his letter will be posted on the website noted above.