Bolinas post office evicted after dispute with landlord
As of this week, Bolinas no longer has a local post office — possibly for the first time since the Civil War era — following its eviction in a lease conflict.
The post office at 20 Brighton Ave. was closed Monday and has indefinitely relocated its mail pickup and delivery services to Olema.
Residents said they were only provided a couple of weeks' notice, if any, of the change. Many residents with P.O. boxes have to drive 40 minutes roundtrip to pick up their mail, packages and medicine.
“It kind of has pulled out the rug from everybody,” said Keith Hansen, a Bolinas resident who owns Wildlife Gallery. “It's a big surprise, so it does make it quite difficult for business owners to do business. It's a unique situation.”
The Bolinas post office has existed in some form since 1863 and moved into the Brighton Avenue location, specifically built for the postal service, in 1962, according to Elia Haworth, a Bolinas Museum curator.
“The post office is really like our most vital public service,” Bolinas resident John Borg said. “It's a hub of our community that connects us with the rest of the world. It would be a huge takeaway, especially for us.”
The U.S. Postal Service has released few details about the circumstances behind the eviction, only stating that it was unable to secure a lease agreement with the property owner. The property is owned by the trust of Gregg Welsh, who resides
"Moving operations to Olema is a temporary measure to ensure we have a continuation of retail and P.O. Box services available for our Bolinas residents."
— Kristina Uppal, USPS spokesperson
in Ventura County.
“It was always our intent to stay in the present location. Unfortunately, we were given a 30-day notice to vacate from the leaseholder and that forced us to find emergency, temporary quarters,” postal service spokesperson Kristina Uppal wrote in an email. “Moving operations to Olema is a temporary measure to ensure we have a continuation of retail and P.O. Box services available for our Bolinas residents.”
Welsh's attorney, Patrick Morris, said the decision to evict the post office was because it violated its lease agreement over a period of several years, specifically a requirement that it maintain its flooring at its own expense. Aside from letting the flooring fall into disrepair, the postal service also concealed the existence of asbestos found in the flooring from both Welsh and the public, according to Morris.
“It's indisputable that they allowed that floor, which they knew would become friable asbestos as it deteriorated, to deteriorate,” Morris said. “They took no steps to fix it even though they were contractually obligated and asked on numerous occasions to do it. The only time they even began to think about it was when their lease was running out.”
The latest five-year lease expired at the end of January. Morris said Welsh told the post office in 2021 that he would not approve a new lease until the flooring issues were remediated.
Additionally, Morris said that the post office had discovered the floor tiling and the adhesive it had installed nearly 40 years ago contained asbestos. Morris said the discovery was made by the post office in 1998, but that the post office did not notify the landlord until last year and did not post warning signs in the building.
Morris alleged the post office also tried to defraud Welsh in 2021 by stating it had completed flooring repairs. The post office asked that Welsh pay half of the cost, but actually had not completed any of the floor repairs it stated it had, Morris said.
After this, the post office replaced the flooring in the public area, which Morris described as shoddy work. The post office has reportedly completed more flooring repairs in its work area, but Morris said Welsh has not been notified of this work.
Efforts are underway by residents and government representatives to find some type of solution, whether it be creating a temporary post office in Bolinas or resolving the issues between the landlord and postal service.
Marin County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni said he and residents are frustrated by the situation and the lack of communication by the post office leading up to the closure.
Rodoni said he empathizes with Welsh, especially considering that he evicted a renter when the building he owns next door, known as the Waterhouse building at 22 Brighton Ave., has remained vacant and unrepaired after being damaged in a fire in 2020. The Waterhouse building's condition and vacancy have also been a point of frustration among residents.
“The fact they're evicting someone who is paying rent really said something to me that this relationship is not very good,” Rodoni said.
Rodoni said the post office had plenty of warning along the way, but also said that he doesn't understand fully why a resolution cannot be found with the property owner.
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, whose district includes Marin, said the post office recently addressed the asbestos issue despite the eviction notice.
“I've sometimes had my differences with the postal service,” Huffman said, “but in this case, they have done everything possible to stay there and serve the community.
We just don't know what this landlord wants.”
On Monday, Morris said Welsh always attempts to resolve these problems but stated that the post office has only asked for a renewal of a five-year lease. Morris also rebutted Huffman's statement that the post office has taken the steps to address the lease violations.
“The amount they want to pay is not acceptable and they haven't accounted for these issues of asbestos, the flooring,” Morris said. “Somebody has to be transparent about what's been done. I mean, right now Gregg Welsh is exposed to lawsuits relating to asbestos exposure.
“There is going to have to be some sort of compensation for that or indemnity against future claims. I mean, these people ruined his property and they didn't give a hoot.”
Additionally, Welsh has put both the 20 and 22 Brighton Ave. properties up for sale, which Morris said could net about $5 million for both properties.
The postal service states the relocation to Olema is only a temporary measure and that it is seeking a longterm location. Delivery services for qualifying residents will still be available and residents can request alternative delivery options by contacting the postmaster, Uppal said.
However, residents are concerned that they might never see their post office return and questioned the landlord's intent in evicting it.
“People are kind of in the dark,” said Bolinas resident Marc Sanchez-Corea. “The post office never gave any communication to the community. We could have had this situation solved weeks ago. If they collaborated with the community instead of denying any communication, they wouldn't have had to go to Olema. It's almost like they are doing it on purpose to get rid of a post office.”
“I hope that he repairs the building and keeps it open for the community,” said Terry Camiccia, a longtime Bolinas resident who worked as a clerk at the post office during the 1960s and 1970s.
A coalition of residents that includes Borg is working to find a new temporary location in Bolinas or get the post office back into its original location. One location being considered is a lot near Mesa Park. But with so few commercial spaces available in Bolinas, Borg said finding a long-term location will be a challenge and will require the work of both local and federal officials.
An online petition was launched Tuesday in an attempt to elevate the issue.
“It's going to be a longterm process to get a permanent, long-term location,” Borg said. “We aren't really clear about a commitment to stay in Bolinas. We already have very few public services, limited public transit and limited retail stores. We're a classic, small, rural coastal town.”