A postal strain

Friday, October 14, 2005

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Growth and development is causing a strain on Bay area postal services.

The development of thousands of new homes in northern Hillsborough and southern Pasco in the coming months will put major stress on the postal service.

USPS adds 50,000 to 60,000 new addresses each year in the Suncoast District.

There's no magic wand associated when it comes to sorting mail at the Zephyrhills Post Office.

"Just when we thought we had a handle on it, here comes a new development," Zephyrhills Postmaster Doug Fiedler said.

Zephyrhills is one of the busiest postal regions of the Bay area.

Fiedler said the housing boom in southern Pasco will serve up 13,000 new addresses by 2006.

"A lot of the growth is in what we call the rural area," Fiedler said. "So, what we do is we're constantly adjusting those routes to keep up with the growth so we can maintain the quality of service that the customers deserve."

The Zephyrhills Postal District, which includes Wesley Chapel, will soon be home to more than 25 new routes.

The demand is putting a strain on postal carriers, post office facilities and the availability of PO boxes in some locations.

USPS Spokesperson Gary Sawtelle said post offices use a computer automated system to set up new addresses, but the work to sort mail and resolve delivery issues is done by hand.

"You've got developers from all different cities saying here is our platt, here is our road, here is our addresses, get delivery for us," Sawtelle said. "Well, without automation, we wouldn't be able to get it done."

The Zephyrhills Postal Service is also gearing up for snowbirds to return.

In the winter months, 30,000 to 40,000 seasonal residents arrive, which puts a squeeze on operations there as well.