WEST PARK – Residents of the tiny hamlet of West Park came out in full force on Friday in an orchestrated rally to protect and defend their small but mighty post office.
With Congressman Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) as their emcee and their beloved post office as the backdrop, residents chanted, waved signs, handed out “save our post office” cookies and spoke of how vitally important the post office is to the nearly 300 residents of this Ulster County community, who do not have door-to-door, home mail delivery.
On June 22, residents received a letter, notifying them that their post office would be closing at the end of July.
Residents would be expected to pick up their mail in the town of Highland post office, about five and a half miles south of their hamlet.
West Park resident and business owner Jesse Levy said the U.S. Postal service did not follow regulations, failed to give them 60 days’ notice and did not invite them to a public hearing.
“Small town post offices are shutting down all over the country,” said Levy. “This is our fight–to call out the lies and stand up for the small towns and the people who live in them. We are fighting for our mail, for our democracy, for access and for our community.”
“Large numbers of our neighbors will be negatively impacted if the post office closes,” said West Park resident, educator and activist Marie Ellis. “This is not about losing a building or staff. It’s about losing access–access to services essential to life in rural America. It’s about, once again, expecting the most vulnerable among us–the elderly, the poor, those without transportation and the disabled to bear the brunt of unjust barriers. Our access to mail-in ballots is also at risk.”
The U.S. Postal service says its West Park landlord refused to renew the building’s 15-year lease, which expires on July 24.
The landlord, Bill Laredo, who owns a Brooklyn-based construction company, told Mid-Hudson News that he is being depicted as a villain.
“This is absolutely untrue,” said Laredo. “I am completely frustrated. I have been trying to negotiate with the post office for nearly two years. I only speak with their broker and never get to speak to anyone at the postal service directly. I offered to renew the lease. I even offered to sell them the building, and no one will respond to me.”
When asked about the disrepair of the physical building, Laredo admits that maintenance of the building is his responsibility and that it needs a new roof.
“It’s up to them to tell me when something needs repair, but all I get are certified letters. After 15 years, with the rise in the cost of everything, they only want to give me a few hundred dollars more per month.”
Laredo says he’s paying $15,000 a year in taxes but declined to say what the postal service has been paying him in rent for the past 15 years.
Town of Esopus Supervisor Roscoe Pecora says West Park residents are urging Laredo and the U.S. postal service to extend the lease to prevent the closure and to give everyone time to figure out a long-term solution.
“This closure would create significant hardship–especially for seniors and people with disabilities and for residents who rely on convenient access to postal services,” said Pecora. “Traveling to Highland for routine postal needs would be an unnecessary burden.”
Pecora says a letter to the administration is being drafted and hopes it will be approved by the town board.
He discussed the possibility of acquiring a mobile trailer to function as a temporary post office.
“Back in 2014, the post office reduced our daily hours from eight to six. The community didn’t agree, but they adjusted,” said Diana Klein, President of the Mid-Hudson APWU, American Postal Workers Union. “This community will not adjust to losing this post office! This community will fight back until there is a post office in West Park!”
“Five and a half miles becomes 11 miles round trip and 66 miles a week. That’s a tank of gas—a huge financial burden,” said Ulster County Legislator Amy Dooley, who represents District 9, including West Park. “West Park residents need this post office to receive their medications, social security checks, paychecks and other important documents and, for many who don’t have transportation, they need it to vote.”
“This fight not only matters for West Park, but matters for the Hudson Valley, the state and the country,” said Congressman Ryan. “We have to win this fight! We will win this fight! We refuse to allow this post office to close, and we refuse to allow it to be anywhere but in West Park!”
Ryan cited the successful attempt to re-open the Westbrookville post office in Orange County after it abruptly closed back in 2023.
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