Power pole in new park will be fenced

The Havre City Council will allow NorthWestern Energy to put a power pole in a planned skateboard park as long as a fence is erected around the pole.

NorthWestern offered to erect the fence at a meeting earlier Tuesday of the council's Streets and Sidewalks Committee. The committee has been debating whether to allow the pole, which would use metal tension wires for support, inside the park. The park will be on the northeast undeveloped section of Patterson Park and by the water tower off Ninth Street.

Committee members had worried that the guy wires might be dangerous to skateboarders.

The committee made its decision after listening to Pat Patterson of NorthWestern Energy and Dave Wilson, the city's park and recreation director.

Patterson said NorthWestern will construct a fence around the power pole that could be combined with the fencing that's planned for the park.

The power line that's being used in the area is a somewhat heavy line that requires the stability of a guy pole, not a push pole used for lighter gauges of power line, Patterson said.

Wilson told the committee that the construction of the skateboard park hasn't started so the design of the park could easily be adjusted for the fencing.

The committee's recommendation was endorsed by the City Council Tuesday night.

The Havre City Council also annexed the area between Bull Hook Road and the southwest corner of Havre High School, which will grant access to the city's sewer and water systems to three residential lots.