U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is part of a bipartisan Ohio delegation urging the United States Postal Service to address ZIP code issues at a New Albany, Ohio, logistics hub.
Co-signed by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), a letter sent Friday to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe raises concerns about the 1.4 million-square-foot Personal Care, Health and Beauty Park falling under multiple ZIP codes. This causes shipping and mailing delays at the supply chain center, officials claim.
“The New Albany Business Park is a huge driver of economic vitality for the region,” Portman said. “I’m hopeful that USPS will work to address the concerns raised by the city and businesses to better streamline the boundaries at this state-of-the-art industrial park so we can help these companies expand and continue to see economic growth.”
The letter states amending the city’s ZIP code will “promote economic development in the New Albany region and the state of Ohio.” It claims firms in the business park currently have problems with vendors utilizing multiple ZIP code addresses on shipments, absorb costs associated with regulatory filings and errors in the reporting of income.
The delegation has been working on the issue since June, when it led a meeting of involved parties to discuss a proposed ZIP code boundary change. The letter says the group has also obtained support from neighboring towns that would be impacted by ZIP code changes within the park.
The business park employs more than 12,000 people.