Mid-Hudson News reports that the Mid-Hudson Processing and Distribution Center at Stewart Airport is one of 10 postal facilities nationwide to be designated by the Postal Service as a sorting and delivery center as part of a 10-year plan to modernize the delivery network. As part of the plan, carrier operations will move, where feasible, to new sorting and delivery centers that have better infrastructure and adequate space, docks, conveyors and material handling equipment for more efficient operations, a postal spokesperson said. Postal retail units, including P.O. Box service, will stay in operation, but carrier operations will shift to the Stewart center and others like it around the nation. The Postal Service said the model will “greatly improve our transportation utilization by reducing transportation entirely. Additionally, it will allow postal delivery routes to be revamped to make them more efficient and cost-effective.” The initiative will also make it possible for the Postal Service to use more battery electric vehicles. The conversion process will take time with the first sorting and delivery center operational in Athens, Georgia. More than 100 new locations nationwide will be evaluated. Read the full story at Mid-HudsonNews [dot] com.