Post office hours could be cut

In order to keep the smallest post offices open while saving an estimated $500 million a year, the United States Postal Service announced a plan to reduce hours for rural post offices, including those in West Marin. Post offices in Olema, Marshall and Dillon Beach would have their hours cut by half—to four hours a day—while Lagunitas, Nicasio, San Geronimo, Tomales and Valley Ford post offices would be reduced to six. Point Reyes Station, Inverness, Bolinas and Stinson Beach offices would not be affected. “Cut your paycheck in half and you tell me,” Chris Knowles, who works at the Marshall post office, said when asked how the cuts would affect him. The postal service is offering a voluntary early retirement incentive for non-executive postmasters. Before the plan is implemented—as early as 2014—it will be reviewed by the Postal Regulatory Commission; community meetings to discuss alternatives will also be scheduled.