Historical Review Board Spars With Shop Owners Over Foodtown Plaza Signage
Compromise reached on mandate for new signs
by Dean Howell

Proposed signage for the Foodtown Plaza prepared by Gloede Neon Signs of Poughkeepsie. Despite the name of the design company, the signs are not neon, but wooden, lit by lights immediately above the signs.

All’s well that ends well, at least as far as the signage at the Foodtown plaza is concerned. What started as a heated debate at the Cold Spring Historical Review Board’s meeting on March 19 ended amicably as the owner of the plaza offered to pay for new signs that had been mandated by the Board, much to the relief of the concerned group of shop owners in attendance.

At the center of the debate was the issue of whether or not new signs were needed for all of the shops. "What’s wrong with the signs we have now?" asked one of the shop owners in attendance. "They were never damaged and are in working condition. They look fine just the way they are."

Chairman Al Zgolinski responded that the new Foodtown construction will update the whole look of the plaza, and that the old signs will not fit. "The entire face has changed to such an extent that the signage is affected," he said. "It is no longer appropriate for what will be there.

Board member Pam Colangelo agreed. "Had (the fire) to the building not happened, we wouldn’t be talking about this right now," she observed. "When things change to this degree, this Board is empowered to enforce the guidelines that were adopted four years ago. The changes were profound enough that this is essentially a new building, bound by the new laws."

There was general discussion between the Board and the shop owners regarding what kind of signage would be acceptable. The Board indicated that neon is expressly prohibited, and that plastic, while allowed, is not encouraged. When plastic is used, the signs cannot be backlit. The new signage that the Board is considering for the Plaza is wooden with illumination provided by overhead gooseneck lamps.

Robert Lomino, the owner of Robert’s Hair Salon, asked the Board to consider the financial implications of the mandate. "Foodtown had to put up a sign no matter what – it’s a new building," he noted. "It’s been tough for all of us this year without the traffic from the supermarket, and to have the hardship of another $1,500.00 to pay out of our own pocket for a new sign…you’re basically spending my money."

Board member Joseph Etta agreed with the shop owners, saying that he didn’t see the need for new signage. "The same signs were approved by this Board before, and they weren’t damaged," he said. "As far as I’m concerned, the current signs are good."
Another attendee presented the Board with a petition that had 452 signatures from residents who supported the merchants in their effort to keep the old signage. "It’s hard enough to compete in this Town," she told the Board as she showed them the petition.

After the Board voted 3-2 to consider the new wooden signs that had been designed by the Gloede Sign Company, a compromise was reached when several shop owners met in the front of the room with the Board and Constantine Serroukas, who owns the plaza. In the end, Serroukas agreed to pay for the new signage, alleviating the concerns of the shop owners. The Board then voted to approve the new signage, with 3 members voting in favor of the signs and 2 abstentions.

The meeting began with a heated discussion regarding the owner’s plans for the dumpsters at the plaza. As the Board looked at blueprints for dumpster placements, Etta commented that he couldn’t tell if anything was actually going to change from the current layout. "I want to see that place cleaned up. It’s been a mess for all these years," he said with a trace of agitation. "There is a street that goes right by there and houses are going to be built directly across from the plaza. You have to get rid of that mess."

A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the placement of the dumpsters, the lack of details in the plans and general concern that the final result be presentable to the community. The owner assured the Board that the area would be cleaned up and that the dumpsters would be at least partially concealed when all of the work was finished. The Board agreed to have a special meeting on April 2 to specifically discuss the dumpster issue.