Blue light replacement proceeds at slow pace

Problems with blue light phone fixtures around campus continue, despite ongoing work to replace dimly lit bulbs. At least four blue emergency lights were not operating properly over the last few weeks. These include one near High Rise North, one in front of the Class of 1920 Commons and one on the corner of 40th and Locust streets. Police officers are responsible for the nightly monitoring of emergency telephones, University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said early this month. University Police Chief George Clisby said he was aware of the broken lights. "Periodically there may have been some trouble with those [lights] in the past," Clisby said. "I distinctly remember them." According to Clisby, the lights should be repaired by today. The University is also in the process of upgrading all of the blue lights, regardless of whether they are fully operational or not. The aim of this project is to improve the visibility of the emergency telephones, Kuprevich said earlier this month. The new, brighter bulb will be placed in the old housing, along with an extension for the bulb and a locking grate. Workers began replacing bulbs in mid-November, said Lou Visco, Physical Plant director of maintenance and utilities. He added that he hopes the project will be done by the end of the year. "Work is progressing real well," Visco said, adding that maintenance workers have replaced about 70 percent of the approximately 125 blue light bulbs. Visco's department is responsible for changing all of the bulbs on campus, excluding the ones in the Quadrangle. The emergency lights in the Quad are being changed by Residential Maintenance, according to Visco. All off-campus lights are being upgraded under the auspices of Kuprevich, who was unavailable for comment yesterday. As a result of cost-saving efforts by Physical Plant, the upgrade will be covered by regular maintenance and upgrading allocations, Visco said. But the low cost was not the main concern of Physical Plant. "[The priority was] the security of our campus community knowing that where there is a blue light, there is an emergency phone," Visco said.