Mail going to and coming from zip codes beginning with 613 are going to Peoria's mail processing center with the rest going to Champaign's facility. (Ryan Denham/WJBC)

By Stephanie Pawlowski

BLOOMINGTON - The U.S. Postal Service should wrap consolidation of the Bloomington mail processing facility in February of 2013.

USPS Spokeswoman Beverly Howard said some mail that used to go through the Bloomington facility is now going to Champaign and Peoria.

"So, the 617 destined mail is still being handled there at the Bloomington facility and (we) will continue to do so until the beginning of February of 2013," Howard said.

The Bloomington facility will still handle carrier sorting and business reply mail. Mail going to and coming from zip codes beginning with 613 are going to Peoria's mail processing facility. Consolidation of the Bloomington center started this summer but is on hold for now. Howard said this is the busiest time of year for the post office.

"Operations revolving around the mail are still being conducted at the Bloomington facility, it's just the processing of the mail, you're seeing different cancellation marks, that mail will change," Howard said.

The first phase of consolidations nationwide should cut USPS' work force by about 13,000 employees. The Bloomington center has 158 employees. Howard said the consolidation is really impacting 41 mail processing employees.

"They have an opportunity to go to Champaign and Peoria and some have elected to take an early retirement," Howard said. "It's just a small portion that handled the processing application."

Many of the 250 plant consolidations across the country wrapped this summer. Howard said by 2014 all of the planned consolidation operations should be completed.

In November, the U.S. Postal Service an annual loss of a record $15.9 billion, three times higher than 2011.

Stephanie Pawlowski can be reached at Stephanie.Pawlowski@Cumulus.com.