The U.S. Postal Service is closing its mail processing center in Bend and moving it to Portland as part of a nationwide consolidation of facilities. The Bend facility off NE Fourth Street will be one of 18 across the country to close by November, according to a notice from the Postal Service.

But the location may become a new package processing facility due to the large increase in packages being sent in the U.S. rather than letters and other standard mail, said Kim Frum, a Postal Service spokesperson.

The changes are not expected to cause any delays in mail delivery, Frum said.

“Moving, removing, and repurposing mail processing equipment and operations is an ongoing Postal Service strategy dating back decades that allows for more efficient, timely delivery of mail and packages,” Frum said.

The Postal Service is not planning to lay off any staff, and more staff may be needed in Bend if the facility becomes a package processing center, Frum said.

“These mail moves will require that we will allocate more staff to support package processing given the increase in package volume, and allocate fewer staff to mail processing given the large decline in mail,” Frum said.

Since April 2013, all mail originating in Bend or Central Oregon has been trucked to Portland for initial sorting, according to The Bulletin’s previous reporting.

A letter sent from a Central Oregon address to another Central Oregon address then returns to the Bend processing facility, where it’s sorted a second time and given to the correct mail carrier. Shutting down the Bend processing facility means the second stage of sorting would also take place in Portland.

Repurposing the mail facilities is part of the Postal Service’s 10-year plan to become financially stable after several years of declining revenues. The plan includes $20 billion to invest in new equipment and facilities to improve package processing operations, Frum said.

The service hopes its 10-year plan avoids a projected $160 billion in losses by 2030.

“It’s no secret the Postal Service is facing financial difficulties,” Frum said. “The investment for the mail moves is one piece of the 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability.”

Bend’s mail processing facility was scheduled to close in 2015, but the Postal Service changed course and decided to keep it open.

Frum said turning the Bend location into a package processing center is a good opportunity for the Postal Service to streamline its services. The service wants to consolidate its centers for letters and standard mail, while expanding its package processing in places like Bend, Frum said.

“Letter mail is declining, and package volumes are increasing,” Frum said. “It makes good business sense to realign the mail processing operations from multiple facilities into one facility and provide expanded package sorting capabilities.”