Bolinas inches closer to getting its post office reopened after lengthy closure

More than a year and a half ago, the West Marin town of Bolinas lost its post office over a dispute with a building owner, leaving residents with no local mail service.  
Worn down by bureaucratic delays, the town is taking a wait and see attitude as hope arises for a possible resolution.
A flag still flies over the old Bolinas post office, although it’s looking a bit faded with age. The postal service suddenly closed the office in March of last year in a lease dispute with the building’s owner that may have involved asbestos floor tiles.
“Yeah, we had less than two weeks notice of our post office closing, and it’s a vital part of our community,” said resident John Borg, who has led the charge to get the local post office replaced.
Most people in Bolinas don’t get home delivery, so they’ve been forced to drive 40 minutes roundtrip to the post office in Olema to get their mail.  
“We thought it would take maybe three to six months to resolve,” said Borg. “And, you know, we all grow up with the post office. It’s a part of American life.”
When the dispute reached 95 days, Borg and other activists began organizing protests and letter-writing campaigns. The residents even offered up plans for a temporary facility that could be located in the parking lot of Mesa Park.  
But the wheels of progress grind slowly at the United States Postal Service. 561 days later, there is still no post office in Bolinas.
“I would say ‘frustrating’ and ‘unfair’ are words that come to mind,” said resident Dieter Tremp. “But how long can you be frustrated?  What was it, 561 days?  I wasn’t [frustrated] for the first days, I thought there was a good reason for it. But at some point in time, it becomes ridiculous.”
On Wednesday, Tremp had just returned from his daily trek to Olema to get the family’s mail. He said he feels lucky to be able to do it, but doesn’t know how older people are coping with the long-distance mail service.
“You know, when you live out here and the power goes out for five days, people learn to shrug. But this is not lightning striking or a branch falling over. This is somebody up there in postal management just plain old ignoring their obligations.”
“They can’t get medications. They can’t get pension benefits. They can’t get their banking checks. We’ve had reports of people that have not gotten their ballot in the last election,” said Borg.
But now, after a year and a half in bureaucratic pergatory, hope may finally be on the horizon. Late Wednesday afternoon, USPS spokesperson Kristina Uppal wrote in an email that, “It has always been our intention to return to Bolinas and the good news is we are in currently in negotiations for a permanent solution. We will select a site that best meets our operational needs and can provide continued service to the community long term.”
Borg said there seems to be a deal in the works to reopen the post office in the exact same space it once occupied. There’s no timeline given for the reopening and Howard Dillion — who Borg describes at the town’s “poet laureate” — said he’s not holding his breath.
“It’s just a level of insanity and incompetence that is beyond belief,” said Dillon. “If it’s coming back soon, that would make me very happy. I will believe it when I see it.”
As the saying goes, neither snow, rain, heat nor gloom of night is supposed to stop the post office from the swift completion of its appointed rounds. But it doesn’t say anything about asbestos. For that, it can take a little longer.