BUFFALO, N.Y. — The United States Postal Service filed a notice of intent to evaluate the future of its Buffalo processing and distribution facility on William Street. There is a possibility some operations will be moved to Rochester.

Postal service workers and elected officials spoke out against the potential changes that could cause delays in mail delivery.

“What the public needs to understand is the loss of that processing center and how it will literally decimate your mail service here in Western New York,” said Dave Grosskopf, Jr., president of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Buffalo is on a list of 29 other cities under consideration of this plan that is part of the USPS 10-year Delivering for America plan, a $40 billion investment strategy to improve and upgrade postal operations. 

A spokesperson for the post office declined to comment and referred to a previously issued press release in response to Friday’s rally. The press release from the USPS states, in part: "The evaluation is a first step in the Postal Service review and investment process in this facility and will not result in this facility’s closure or career employee layoffs."

Postal workers at the rally said this change would cause delays in mail delivery, especially to mail that is sent from and delivered to the Buffalo area, as it would be sent to Rochester first.

USPS released a statement Friday evening, saying that a previously-scheduled public input meeting set for Wednesday, Jan. 31, would be rescheduled "as further time is needed to finalize any specific improvements we may undertake at the Buffalo P&DC."