Bellevue Main and Midlakes Post Offices to Be Closed, Consolidated

The and the are set for closure and consolidation into one office in mid-2013, the U.S. Postal Service announced at the Bellevue City Council meeting Monday night.

"Due to the challenging eonomic times we all live in, the postal service finds itself needing to close some offices and consolidate others," said Russell Rainey, Real Estate Specialist from the U.S. Postal Service's Western Facility Service Office.

The U.S. Postal Service is searching for a new postal service location in downtown or just on the eastern side of Interstate 405 for the retail portion of postal services, Rainey said. Mail carriers will be moved to a different facility, he said.

This move would consolidate two of three dedicated post offices in Bellevue. No changes for the third, the , were announced Monday.

The U.S. Postal Service announced $3 billion in cuts that the postal service plans to avoid bankruptcy, according to the Associated Press. Likely, the cuts also will result in slow service, according to the AP.

The , located at 11405 NE 2nd Pl., has been for sale for several years -- as a sign posted last year in the post office window explained. The U.S. Postal Service has an agreement to purchase the building that the Bellevue Main Post Office is in today, which is at 1171 Bellevue Way NE, but Rainey said that the U.S. Postal Service plans to sell it.

Rainey said that the U.S. Postal Service is looking for an existing facility with 10,000 net usable square feet, with enough parking to accommodate 80 to 90 customers and 12 employees, and ideally on a site of 70,000 square feet. It's preferred area is between NE 12th Street and Main Street on the north and south and 120th Ave. NE and 100th Ave. NE east to west.

Rainey said that the U.S. Postal Service will take public comments on the consolidation for the next 30 days.

This would not be the only recent Eastside post office consolidation. The postal service without immediate plans to replace it with a smaller retail location.

The agency has been asking Congress for help with cutting costs and arguing that dramatic changes in the way it operates are necessary to its survival.

Bellevue City Councilman John Chelminiak said that he has seen lines and crowded parking at the Bellevue Main Post Office at non-peak times of year.

"There is a large demand in West Bellevue for both the postal box service and for that retail service," Chelminiak said. "Make sure it's sized properly."

-- Information from Redmond Patch was used in this report.