MAIL DELAYED BECAUSE OF HEAVY VOLUME AT PROCESSING CENTER

Heavier than anticipated volume for the Bootheel delayed distribution Monday of some mail handled through the new postal processing center, Cape Girardeau Postmaster Mike Keefe said.

"We received more containers of mail than we normally get," said Keefe. Monday marked the first regular business day for operation of a new mail processing center at Cape Girardeau.

The processing center in the Cape West Industrial Park started operations Saturday.

"This morning, the arriving mail coming from St. Louis was heavier than what we had staffed for," said Keefe. "It slowed us down more than we thought it would. It delayed all the mail going to the basic area."

The new center processes incoming and outbound mail for the Cape Girardeau (637) zip code area, which also includes the Jackson and Perryville areas; and the Sikeston (638) zip code area, which basically covers the entire Bootheel area along Interstate 55, Keefe said.

Keefe said the volume of mail for the 638 zip code area was higher than had been anticipated.

The processing center handled three truckloads of mail this morning. Mail was delivered to the processing center beginning at around midnight.

Keefe said the mail for the Bootheel had to be processed and put on trucks for transportation to Sikeston, Kennett, Dexter, Charleston, Portageville and other communities by 3:10 a.m.

"Sikeston has 65 different separations. So you have to make separations (of mail) to 65 different areas," the postmaster pointed out.

The volume of Bootheel mail delayed distribution of mail to post office boxes at the Cape Girardeau Post Office.

In the past, he said, mail has generally been in the post office boxes by 8 a.m., 30 minutes ahead of the regular deadline.

Monday, however, much of the mail, including some newspapers, were not delivered to mail boxes until 9 a.m. or later, Keefe said.

"In Cape we really strive at getting it done correctly and on time and, truthfully, I was a little bit disappointed this morning," said Keefe.

"We figure we are running half a million pieces of mail through here, and all of a sudden you anticipate it wrong. It has a hell of an impact," he said. "Once you get behind in this business, it is tough to get out of the hole."

Employees at the processing center were working a 12-hour shift Monday to catch up with the mail processing.

"We figured this first week was going to be a trial and error period, where we do some things right and some things wrong," said Keefe.

He said he expects mail delivery will be much smoother today.

Keefe said he believes postal customers are aware of the startup of the new processing center.

"I think the majority of people accept the fact that it takes a couple of days to get things worked out."