
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 31, 1990                   TAG: 9007310429
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ed Shamy
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

STAR'S STATUS HAS BEEN ON-AGAIN, OFF-AGAIN

Summer has been cruel to the Mill Mountain star, pulling the plug on the mountaintop landmark time and again during the past month and leaving the Star City starless.

The star was dark again during the weekend - Friday through Sunday - and workers failed to get it up and shining again Monday night.

"It's just giving us a fit," said Bill Mullins, whose job as manager of the city's Signals and Alarms Department puts the star under his jurisdiction.

"To sum it up, we've had a multitude of problems with storm damage, breakage and vandalism," Mullins said.

Workers from Kinsey Sign Co., which maintains the star for the city, have tried correcting the problems. They've replaced some transformers and some cable, have fiddled with breakers and repaired neon tubing.

"They think they get it right and it burns OK for two or three nights and then - poof - it's out," Mullins said.

Electric breakers for the star have to be specially ordered, and they can take days to arrive, Mullins said.

"One time we'll hear from 100 people about the star. Other times we don't hear nothing," Mullins said.

by CNB