No changes will be made at seven of the eight Arizona post offices the U.S. Postal Service was studying for possible consolidation, including the West Sedona Branch, USPS announced Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Dozens of post office box customers at the West Sedona Branch filled out questionnaires, most objecting to the consolidation move, USPS officials reported.

Sedona postmaster Dave Cartlidge said earlier this month all residential Sedona mail is delivered from the main post office at the ‘Y’ intersection, but the West Sedona branch houses roughly 1,000 P.O. boxes, making it a convenient stop for many West Sedona residents and businesses.

The seven locations no longer being considered for consolidation include:

• West Sedona Branch, 2081 W. Highway 89A, Sedona
• McDowell Station, 2650 E. McDowell Rd., Phoenix
• Papago Retail Station, 7750 E. McDowell Rd., Scottsdale
• Goodwin Station, 101 Goodwin St., Prescott
• Highway Station, 990 Highway 95, Bullhead City
• Mojave Valley Station, 8045 Highway 95, Bullhead City
• Warren Station, 940 State Hwy 92, Bisbee

The decision does not preclude studies at a future date for these or other locations, USPS officials stated.

Still under consideration is the Midtown Station, 5401 E. 5th St., in Tucson. The public input process via customer questionnaires regarding the possible consolidation will get under way at the Tucson location this week.

A final decision on the Midtown Station will not be made until Oct. 1, at the earliest, according to USPS officials. The earliest the station would be consolidated into another nearby post

office would be the end of this year.

Current economic conditions and technological advances such as e-mail are combining to change the way people use and access services and products offered by the United States Postal Service, a self-supporting independent federal agency.

Ongoing mail volume and revenue losses demand that the USPS review all postal operations to find opportunities to provide service more efficiently, officials stated.