The Des Moines metro-area postal service, which includes Ames and other nearby towns, is tied with nine other metro areas for the second-fastest mail delivery in the country behind Erie, Penn.

Ames Postmaster Dave Massarini said although statistics list just Des Moines, the results include Ames, Boone, Nevada and all other towns and cities that have a zip code with the first three numbers between 500 and 503.

Massarini said Des Moines is the “sectional center facility,” and the measurement is an “external first-class priority measurement,” which includes service in a “360-degree sweep around Des Moines.”

Mary Berardi, customer relations coordinator for the Des Moines Postal Service, said the Des Moines metro area was one of 96 cities measured for delivery speed and was found to be two points above the national average.

She also said statistics show the metro area as having the highest quality mail delivery since the national measurement in 1990.

Berardi commended the “great work ethic” of the employees and said the postal service is “really proud” of their work performance. She said keys to success include good employee training and task forces which identify problems.

Berardi said task forces such as the periodical task force measure on-time delivery and identify where the problems exist.

“We use data from measurements, evaluate [the data] and try to improve,” Berardi said.

Massarini said the rate of delivery survey is conducted by Pricewaterhouse, an independent accounting firm located on the East Coast. He said the firm prepares test letters and develops statistics that show the results of the measurements.

Massarini gives credit to postal workers and to delivery point sequencing, which sorts the mail by bar code for fast and efficient mail delivery. He said delivery point sequencing sorts 10 letters per second and organizes 50 to 60 percent of the mail, reducing the tedious work of sorting by hand.

“We try to deliver every piece to everyone,” Massarini said. “People really care … although no one is perfect.”

Massarini said both city and rural carriers work eight-hour days. City carriers come to work around 7 or 7:30 a.m., start delivering around 8:30 a.m., and are usually done within eight hours. The rural carriers come in around 6:30 a.m.

Massarini said mail going to the residence halls is sorted and delivered by complex; then the hall desk staff at the various complexes sort and deliver the mail by hand.