OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Municipal Arts Commission Meeting – September 9, 2026

Meeting Portal — Wednesday, September 9, 2026
BodyNew Rochelle, New York
SessionMeeting Portal
DateWednesday, September 9, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 19:31

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Good evening and welcome to the September 2026 meeting of the Municipal Arts Commission.

0:11

My name is Marissa Bowen.

0:13

I'm the chair of this commission.

0:15

I'm going to ask our the director of development, Kevin Jimenez, to introduce our new board member and to call the role, and then we'll begin.

0:23

Thank you, Marissa.

0:24

So tonight we have a new member of the municipal arts commission.

0:27

His name is Javier Contreras.

0:30

Welcome.

0:31

Thank you.

0:32

Along with us, we have Fred Spinowitz, Michael Morrero, Jane Walls, and from the buildings department, we have Joe Googlielmo.

0:40

Okay, call a first case.

0:42

Okay.

0:42

So we have uh some four adjourned cases for tonight.

0:46

I'll start with the first adjourned case.

0:48

Uh it'll be 13 2026.

0:50

Application by Luis Louis Nava to install one front lit channel letter sign at 642 North Avenue.

1:04

Gotcha.

1:06

Um hello to all.

1:07

My name is Alder Nava.

1:09

Um come from America Signs and Ownings, and I'm here seeking approval for the front lit illuminated channel letters mounted on a raceway with a light box right below that.

1:27

Is the sign underneath the on the window that strip is that currently there or is that part of the application?

1:34

No, that's currently there.

1:35

Yeah, that's vinyl.

1:37

Okay.

1:37

Yeah, we did not put that up.

1:39

All right.

1:39

Does anyone have any questions on this sign?

1:42

Questions, concerns.

1:45

No?

1:45

Looks nice.

1:46

No.

1:47

I think so.

1:48

It's near Iona, right?

1:51

Yes.

1:52

Okay.

1:53

Um would someone like to make a motion?

1:55

Motion to approve.

1:56

Is there a second?

1:58

All in favor?

1:58

Say aye.

1:59

Aye.

2:00

Motion passes.

2:01

Thank you.

2:02

Thank you.

2:03

Thank you.

2:05

Our next case on the agenda for adjourned cases.

2:09

32-2026.

2:11

Application by signs ink to replace internally illuminated LED channel letter wall signs.

2:16

And reface the existing pylon sign with updated Duncan and Baskin Robins graphics at 96 East Main Street.

2:24

So if you can all navigate to the PDF icon, if you don't mind.

2:34

Yes, there we go.

2:35

And then you can see 960.

2:45

Kevin, was this application here before last year?

2:49

It was.

2:50

It was at the July meeting.

2:52

Okay.

2:56

Okay.

2:57

My name is James Plinskey.

2:59

I'm here from Signs Inc.

3:00

Uh, it's a rebrand of uh you know Dunkin' Donuts, formerly Dunkin' Donuts, now it's just Duncan, uh and the Baskin Robbins.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████87%
Procedural███████13%
Summary of Proceedings

Municipal Arts Commission Meeting - September 9, 2026

The Municipal Arts Commission convened on September 9, 2026, at 12:15 PM under the chairmanship of Marissa Bowen. The meeting included the introduction of new board member Javier Contreras, consideration of four adjourned sign/awning applications, and three new cases where applicants were absent. All four adjourned cases were approved by unanimous vote.

Discussion Items

  • Adjourned Case 13-2026: Application by Luis Nava (America Signs and Ownings) to install one front-lit channel letter sign at 642 North Avenue. The sign includes a raceway with a light box below. The commission approved the application by unanimous voice vote.

  • Adjourned Case 32-2026: Application by Signs Inc. (James Plinskey) to replace internally illuminated LED channel letter wall signs and reface an existing pylon sign at 96 East Main Street (Dunkin’/Baskin Robbins rebrand). The applicant sought a variance for letter height (proposed 24 inches instead of the permitted 16 inches), arguing that smaller letters would make the Baskin Robbins text unreadable. The applicant noted the new sign would reduce overall square footage compared to the existing cloud signs. The commission approved the application by unanimous voice vote.

  • Adjourned Case 33-2026: Application by Samara Lobano to recover existing awnings (no dimension changes) at 391 Harrison Street and adjacent Main Street addresses for a Cuban pet store. The new fabric is a darker orange, and logos (palm trees) and text (dine in, take out, delivery) would be added. Commissioner Michael Morrero suggested mirroring the palm tree logo on both ends for symmetry, but the applicant stated the logo is fixed. The commission approved the application by unanimous voice vote.

  • Adjourned Case 34-2026: Application by Anthony (Sign Design) to replace an existing light box with a Pickle Rage logo at 51 County Place. The applicant reduced letter height from 15.5 inches to 12 inches to meet code specifications. The existing box had not been updated in 20 years. The commission approved the application by unanimous voice vote.

  • New Cases (35-2026, 36-2026, 37-2026): Applications for a Star Cana awning at 76 North Avenue and two applications for Self Studio signage and awning at 632 Main Street were called, but no applicants were present. After a second call, the commission took no action on these cases.

Key Outcomes

  • Adjourned cases 13-2026, 32-2026, 33-2026, and 34-2026 were all approved unanimously by voice vote.
  • No action was taken on new cases 35-2026, 36-2026, and 37-2026 due to applicant absence.
  • The meeting was adjourned without further business.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the September 2026 meeting of the Municipal Arts Commission. My name is Marissa Bowen. I'm the chair of this commission. I'm going to ask our the director of development, Kevin Jimenez, to introduce our new board member and to call the role, and then we'll begin. Thank you, Marissa. So tonight we have a new member of the municipal arts commission. His name is Javier Contreras. Welcome. Thank you. Along with us, we have Fred Spinowitz, Michael Morrero, Jane Walls, and from the buildings department, we have Joe Googlielmo. Okay, call a first case. Okay. So we have uh some four adjourned cases for tonight. I'll start with the first adjourned case. Uh it'll be 13 2026. Application by Luis Louis Nava to install one front lit channel letter sign at 642 North Avenue. Gotcha. Um hello to all. My name is Alder Nava. Um come from America Signs and Ownings, and I'm here seeking approval for the front lit illuminated channel letters mounted on a raceway with a light box right below that. Is the sign underneath the on the window that strip is that currently there or is that part of the application? No, that's currently there. Yeah, that's vinyl. Okay. Yeah, we did not put that up. All right. Does anyone have any questions on this sign? Questions, concerns. No? Looks nice. No. I think so. It's near Iona, right? Yes. Okay. Um would someone like to make a motion? Motion to approve. Is there a second? All in favor? Say aye. Aye. Motion passes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Our next case on the agenda for adjourned cases. 32-2026. Application by signs ink to replace internally illuminated LED channel letter wall signs. And reface the existing pylon sign with updated Duncan and Baskin Robins graphics at 96 East Main Street. So if you can all navigate to the PDF icon, if you don't mind.

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