City Council starts budget meeting

Havre City Council heard Tuesday about work to rehabilitate a city water tank, approved some requests for street closures for Festival Days and ended by opening its final budget meeting, continued to 6 tonight in City Hall.

Public Works Director Dave Peterson told the council about work being done on the West Water Tank, resolving a problem that was found in the 1990s that shuts the tank down every winter.

Peterson said crews started draining the tank Tuesday and that will continue today so a company can come in to rehabilitate the tank.

The work will keep the city from watering most city parks, but should not have any impact on residents of the city, he said.

Peterson said the city will continue to water Memorial Park and Sixth Avenue Memorial Field through Festival Days.

He said after the meeting that the tank was damaged in the 1990s when the water within the tank kept freezing. The city started draining the West Tank for the winter and using its East Tank for winter storage. The East Tank previously had been drained for the winter.

He said once the work is done, the West Tank again will be used for winter storage and the East Tank will be drained. That will provide a larger amount of storage and work on the tank including adding an aeration system will also improve the water quality, he said.

A release from Public Works said the project should have no impact on water users, and if any problems arise the department will work with commercial users to reduce irrigation and free up more water for city residents.

The council also approved requests to set the route for the Festival Days Parade for Saturday, Sept. 16, and for Custom Collision Repair to hold a car show, barbecue and burnout — and to draw the names of the winners of two reconditioned cars — also on Sept. 16.

The council also approved the closure of Second Avenue between First and Second Streets so Havre Jaycees can hold a Community Toy Run Saturday, Sept. 23.

The council finished its meeting by opening its budget meeting, which it then recessed until this evening.