Discover Downtown event set for May 14

Discover Downtown, a celebration of Havre life and an effort to promote downtown, will be held Saturday, May 14.

The all-day event will involve blocking off 3rd Avenue from 3rd to 4th streets to traffic where vendors — local and home-based businesses — will be encouraged to set up booths. A walking path down the middle of the avenue will encourage people to mingle.

A 5-K run and a one-mile fun run will be held through downtown streets.

The program is being put on by doctors Marc Whitacre and Erica Farmer of Havre Historical Properties, and their events manager, Hayley Yost of For You, By Me Events.

City Council Monday night approved the proposal to barricade the streets for the events.

In presenting the plan, Farmer said she hoped the event would bring more foot traffic to downtown.

Farmer said she hoped to use part of the Atrium Mall parking lot to set up a band to entertain participants in the afternoon and early evening hours.

The proposal was praised by Mayor Tim Solomon, who said it was an excellent way to promote downtown business.

Whitacre and Farmer own and have rehabilitated the Havre Historic Post Office and the 305 Building, the former Masonic Temple. Tours of those buildings will be provided throughout the day.

In other business at Monday night's council meeting:

Copying fees

The Havre-Hill County Library will be allowed to keep its charge for copying documents at 15 cents per page, 20-cents for a two-sided copy.

The city years ago raised its rates to 25 cents. Then, in a reorganization, the library became under the umbrella of the city government.

Library Director Rachel Rawn said, and council members agreed, that most people who use the service at the library are lower-income people who can’t afford to have a printer of their own, and keeping the cost as low as possible is important.

Besides, she said, most copying done at the library is self-service, while at city hall and in other departments, city staff has to spend time to find the documents and make copies.

Council agreed to draw up legislation to let the Havre-Hill County Library Board set its own rates.

Ordinance Committee to meet

Council member Andrew Brekke, chair of the council’s Ordinance Committee, called a meeting for Wednesday, May 20, to discuss three issues:

— He said some have expressed concerns about people using old railroad cars for storage. The committee will look at whether something should be done to regulate this practice.

— The committee will work on a solution to the problem that developed last year with people drinking alcohol during Sounds on the Square, the Havre AreaChamber of Commerce’s summer downtown concert on Town Square.

— The committee will begin to look at what, if anything, the city should do to reduce blightin the city.