OJAI : Officials Hopeful on Post Office Dispute

A month after writing to the postmaster general for help in resolving a lease dispute over the Ojai post office, city officials said they have received an encouraging letter from Washington.

John F. Micocci, an assistant to Postmaster General Anthony M. Frank, promised in a July 6 letter to Ojai Mayor Nina Shelley that Los Angeles postal officials will continue to negotiate a fair rental price for the downtown post office.

The U.S. Postal Service has leased the post office, which is a county historical landmark, since 1948 from the Ojai Civic Assn., a nonprofit organization that uses the revenue to maintain and improve Libbey Park.

The dispute centers on a proposal by the Postal Service to pay an annual rent of $56,600 for the next 10 years for the building. The current two-year lease expires in December.

Jack Fay, president of the Ojai Civic Assn. and a former mayor of the city, said the offer is “unfair and one-sided” because it does not take into account the rate of inflation. He said he is afraid the offer is a ploy by postal officials to stop negotiations in order to relocate the post office.

Postal officials have tried twice--in 1959 and 1987--to move out of the 73-year-old building into larger quarters, but residents successfully prevailed upon city officials to persuade the post office to remain in the old building.

In his letter, Micocci defended postal officials for following established lease guidelines. Micocci said it is Postal Service policy not to enter into leases that are tied to the Consumer Price Index or other indexes that tend to inflate rents beyond market rates. However, he stated that the policy does not prohibit periodic rent increases during the term of a lease.

His letter concludes: “Hopefully, negotiations will successfully resolve this matter since our plans are to remain in the present facility.”

Fay said he is encouraged by the letter, but he would appreciate a phone call to schedule more talks.