Students have headed to the Lansdowne Street clubs without the usual radiance of the Citgo sign lighting their path over the past few weeks because of recent inclement weather.
The 60 foot-by-60-foot sign, perched atop the Barnes ‘ Noble at Boston University in Kenmore Square, is normally lit up in red, blue and white from dusk until midnight. But it has been turned off since the first major snowstorm in January, according to Robert Sawyer, who is contracted by Citgo Petroleum Corp. for the upkeep of the sign.
‘This is one big sign,’ he said, ‘and it is very difficult sometimes impossible to service when weather conditions complicate it.’
Snow and ice can build up on the neon tubing, causing short circuits, Sawyer said, so the sign is routinely shut off in anticipation of snowstorms. With the shocking cold wave of the past weeks, maintenance workers have not been able to service it since the first storm.
Sawyer said workers began repairing the sign yesterday, ‘the first ‘normal’ winter day,’ and said he expects it to be turned back on in the next few days.
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