Tension high at USPS public forum in Tyler

TYLER — Tension filled the room Thursday night as East Texans passionate about their mail spoke out against the postal service's plan to close 252 processing facilities nationwide -- including the East Texas plant in Owentown.

It's a move they say will save money -- something they feel has to be done since the service is losing more than $23 Million a day.

McKinney Boyd with the Dallas district of the postal service tells KETK, he realizes people nationwide are passionate when it comes to closing facilities.

"It's like part of the community.  It's like the library or a police station.  They become passionate, we understand that.  But at the same time, we're losing $23 Million a day.  We have to do something to offset those expenses," Boyd told KETK.

But the folks that showed up, just don't like the plan.

In fact, one East Texan asked for a show of hands -- all in favor of keeping the plant open, raise your hand.

All in favor of it closing, not a soul.

Many of the audience members voiced concern over jobs.

"Figures I have, we have 132 people gonna be impacted...which basically means eventually, they're not gonna have a job," said East Texan Terry McKeever

And the time it will take to get mail since it will be now be processed in other facilities like in Austin, Shreveport and North Texas.

"Your service is going to become later and later and later," one man said.

Some, had better ideas.

"If you wanna try to figure out a way to save the costs, you don't use the big envelope, you maybe print it front and back and put it in a smaller envelope," one East Texan said.

And the postal service says they are seeking the public's opinion on this before any decision is made on closing the plant.

But one audience member says they will most likely close it anyway.