Could Fox Valley mail processing center be stamped out?

As the U.S. Postal Service cuts costs by taking longer to deliver some mail, one suburban postal processing center is among hundreds that could be closed.

The postal service is studying the closure of 252 out of 487 mail processing centers, including the Fox Valley Processing and Distribution Center in Aurora. It could be combined with another facility that is 26 miles away in the south suburbs near Blue Island.

So far, it looks like processing facilities in Carol Stream and Palatine are safe. The two locations are not among the 252 under review, postal service spokesman Sean Hargadon said.

As it attempts to grapple with a budget shortfall, the U.S. Postal Service announced that delivery times for first-class mail, now one to three business days, will increase to two to three business days.

The change allows the agency to consolidate facilities, equipment, vehicles and employees, saving about $2.1 billion, officials said.

Closing the Fox Valley center could save $1.2 million a year, but would affect 40 jobs, according to postal service records.

Decisions on closures are expected in March.

Other processing centers that could be consolidated or shuttered are in Rockford and Madison, Wis.

The new delivery-time standards, signaling the end of one-day delivery, will go into effect this spring.

“The average customer won’t notice the change,” Hargadon said.

The post office needs to cut costs by about $20 billion by 2015 to balance its budget.

With more people paying bills, making purchases and communicating online, the agency is losing revenue. There’s been a more than 50 percent decline in traditional mail in the last decade, Hargadon said.

“We’re trying to adjust to what people’s habits are,” he said.

You better watch out

The U.S. Postal Service recommends you drop holiday cards and gifts in the mail by these dates to ensure they arrive in time.

Ÿ Dec. 10: Deadline for mail to friends or family in the military on overseas bases (not including Afghanistan)

Ÿ Dec. 15: Deadline for parcel post

Ÿ Dec. 20: Deadline for first-class mail

Ÿ Dec. 21: Deadline for Priority Mail

Ÿ Dec. 22: Deadline for Express Mail