Bonnie Costas got “devastating news” on December 10 from the landlord of the offices she maintains for her insurance company, Costas & Tate: the directory sign on North Chestnut Street in New Paltz had been taken down by state transportation workers. Costas’ firm is in the office building at 40 Sunset Ridge, adjacent to Duzine Elementary School, and not at all visible from the main road.
Having a directory sign at the corner was a selling point for tenants, as indicated by a letter sent to them from landlords about the situation. “We know this sign is an important part of our buildings [sic] offering,” wrote Bryan J. Exner, a partner in 40 Sunset Ridge LLC, one which they believed “was grandfathered in because it had been there at least 15 years.”
What appears to actually have happened is that state workers have been repairing roads that they haven’t worked on in a very long time, and just noticed the sign there. Per Gina DiSarro, a public information officer at the DOT, “The sign had not been approved by us when it was installed. During a routine survey, our real estate group reviewed its placement and determined it posed a potential safety hazard due to its proximity to our guiderail [sic] and roadway.”
Landlords are working to identify private property on which to place a new sign, but in the meantime Costas and her neighbors want to send the clear message that they are still in business, despite the sign being removed.
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