In meeting with Virginia Congressional delegation, postmaster general pledges improved mail performance in Richmond region

During a meeting with members of Virginia’s Congressional delegation April 29, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy acknowledged mail delivery problems in the Richmond region and pledged to improve the performance of the United States Postal Service’s Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Sandston.

The delegation included U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, as well as both U.S. representatives whose districts include portions of Henrico: Rob Wittman (R-1st District) and Jennifer McClellan (D-4th District). The group previously had voiced concerns about the mail delays.

“It was encouraging to hear the postmaster accept responsibility for the problems, share data about recent improvement, and pledge to make the Richmond Distribution Center a top-notch performer in necessary postal reforms,” the delegation wrote in a joint statement. “But it’s clear that USPS has a long way to go in regaining the trust of Virginians. This meeting is just the beginning and we will continue to press for increased transparency, greater engagement with the public, and a higher standard of service for the communities it serves.”

A report by the USPS inspector general about the RRPDC concluded that lack of attention to detail, poor coordination between machines processing mail at the facility and the trucks transporting mail to and from the facility, and other local, regional and national issues have affected mail service locally.

It also raised broader questions about the effectiveness of the RRPDC, which was the first consolidated processing center in the country that was opened to centralize outgoing mail and package processing as part of USPS’s 10-year Delivering for America plan.

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