Thursday's Spokesman.com and today's Spokesman-Review had stories about planned mail processing center closures, and the resulting increase in volume to be felt at the Spokane center near the Spokane Airport.

Still undecided are considerations by the USPS to close post office buildings around the country. At one point the USPS said it might close up to 3,600 post offices as part of an effort to eliminate an immense $3 billion budget shortfall.

Several Spokane area post offices have been on the list for possible closure. Ernie Swanson, the Washington state regional USPS spokesman, said no decision on the post offices will be made until May 15, at the earliest.

On a related matter, the USPS is still trying to find a sub-leasor for office space it vacated at the Crescent Court building in downtown Spokane.

Swanson said no new agreements have been made to sublease the 24,000 square feet in the building. The USPS said last year it's paying about $490,000 per year for that space, formerly used when Spokane ran a regional office. That regional office closed and was consolidated in Seattle.

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