Senator Marshall Delivers New Post Office for Winchester

Topeka, KS – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. is pleased to announce a direct result for Winchester from his request in last week’s Senate hearing with the Postmaster General of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). For months Senator Marshall has pushed the USPS to approve the lease for this facility, following his persistence and advocacy, the USPS has finalized the lease agreement to construct a new post office for the City of Winchester.  

“The City of Winchester has waited on approval too long for its new postal facility,” Senator Marshall said. “The lack of a mail service hub in this community has had far-reaching consequences, causing significant delays and frustrations for residents. Last week in our USPS hearing,  I called on Postmaster General DeJoy to take action and end the delays in Winchester, and I am proud to announce that from that call to action, we were able to get him to step in and get this project across the finish line. This is a huge development for Winchester and a positive good faith step by the USPS in working with us to restore reliable mail service for all Kansans. We will continue to address the statewide concerns at the highest levels.”

Background:

• The Winchester Post Office was deemed unhealthy and closed due to mold. After several failed attempts to work with USPS officials, the City of Winchester reached out to Senator Marshall’s office to request assistance in working with the agency. In July of this year, Senator Marshall sent a letter to the Postmaster General asking him to prioritize the lease agreement with the city. (Read More Here: Senator Marshall Seeks Answers for Kansans at Hearing on USPS Mail Delays)
• Last week, the Senator asked the Postmaster General about the city’s pending lease agreement during a Senate Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. USPS anticipates construction of the new facility beginning in 2025. 
• Last week, Senator Marshall also sent a state-wide survey to hundreds of thousands ahead of the hearing, which found that over half of respondents felt their mail delivery service was unreliable, and 70% reported mail delays within the past year. 
• Senator Marshall has been a leader in working to restore reliable mail service in Kansas.
• On June 3, 2024, Senator Marshall secured an audit from USPS on mail services in the Kansas City area to evaluate the efficiency of operations at the Processing and Distribution Center. As a part of this audit, the USPS Office of Inspector General will conduct a thorough review of delivery operations and property conditions. 

• On March 7, 2024, Senator Marshall led a letter with Kansas and Missouri delegation members. The letter requested answers and transparency for the continued decline in performance indicators, inconsistent mail delivery across the two-state region, and insufficient staffing at USPS facilities.
  • The delegation letter follows several previous requests by the Senators for investigations into the ongoing interruptions and delays in mail delivery in the Kansas City region. 
• In February, Senator Marshall sent a separate letter asking for explanations for frequent mail delivery delays to residents in Johnson County.