HELI PLT HAS CONCERN REGARDING AN UNLIT SMOKE STACK NEAR THE HELIPORT. DURING REDUCED VISIBILITY AND AT NIGHT IT BLENDS WITH TERRAIN AND IS DIFFICULT TO SEE.

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JUST E OF THE HELIPORT IS A SMOKE STACK. IT IS LOCATED ON A RIVER AND IS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY. IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THAT AT NIGHT DURING REDUCED VISIBILITY IT IS ALMOST INVISIBLE. THE PLTS BASED HERE ARE AWARE OF ITS LOCATION. THIS IS A HIGH TFC AREA FOR THIS HELIPORT. A TRANSIENT ACFT MAY PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR IT NOT BEING LIGHTED. ON THE NIGHT MENTIONED; I COULD NOT SEE THE STACK; EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WAS THERE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE STACK IS NOT LIGHTED BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE ADMITTING IT IS A HAZARD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAD COMPLAINED TO THE MEDICAL FACILITY SEVERAL TIMES AS HAD HIS COMPANY TO GET THE SMOKE STACK LIGHTED. THE FACILITY STATEMENT WAS THAT IF THEY LIGHTED THE STACK IT COULD BE INTERPED AS A HAZARD AND THEY COULD BE SUED. IF IT IS NOT REQUIRED; IT WILL NOT HAPPEN. STRANGELY ENOUGH; THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT INVOLVING A FIXED WING ACFT NEARBY; AND WITHIN 2 DAYS THE STACK HAD A LIGHT ON IT.