The Midway Processing and Distribution Center that has served San Diego since 1972 will close in mid-May, said postal officials. The announcement was made Feb. 23 by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) when it released the official list of 223 processing plants set to be closed or consolidated nationwide. All of San Diego’s mail processing will be moved to the Margaret L. Sellers Processing Center in Rancho Bernardo, according to the formal announcement by the Postal Service. There are 15 processing plants targeted for closure or consolidation throughout California, the most in any one state. Last December, the USPS announced it must reduce its operating costs by $20 billion by 2015 to return to profitability. The Postal Service said that since 2006 it has experienced a 25 percent decline in first-class mail. The Peninsula community is currently served by two full-service post offices — one in Ocean Beach at 4833 Santa Monica Ave. and another in Point Loma at 2931 Cañon St. A full-service post office is also located at 3801 Tientsen St. at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. None of these locations are on the closure list. “The decision to consolidate mail-processing facilities recognizes the urgent need to reduce the size of the national mail-processing network to eliminate costly underutilized infrastructure,” said Megan Brennan, USPS chief operating officer. “Consolidating operations is necessary if the Postal Service is to remain viable to provide mail service to the nation.” The only other San Diego-area postal facility considered for relocation is the La Jolla Post Office at 1140 Wall St. The Postal Service wants to sell the 14,451-square-foot facility built as a Post Office in 1935 by the U.S. Treasury Department of Public Buildings. If a decision is made to close the La Jolla facility, the Postal Service plans to lease a new facility within a mile of the current location. A group of citizens in La Jolla has organized through the La Jolla Historical Society to save the building from sale and redevelopment and to keep postal operations in the heart of the village. A spokesman for District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer’s office said in recent months that only one person has sent a letter in opposition to closing the Midway Post Office and to express concern for future use for the 26-acre site.