Councilors ask staff to review Havre (Hubbard) Park lighting after cost and use concerns

Councilors raised concerns about lighting included in the recently designed Havre (referred to in discussion as Hubbard) Park plan, questioning whether parking‑lot overhead lights are necessary and whether the cost can be reduced. A councilor urged staff to pull the consent‑agenda award and return a staff briefing on the project history, permitting, bid status and implications for altering the scope; City Manager Jesse Baker said staff could provide that background before any final award.

"If we're gonna spend big money on lights that we're not gonna use, it seems that we might wanna consider not having those lights in that park," one councilor said, pressing staff to explain the design decision and what it would take to remove the lights from the contract. Councilors agreed there are tradeoffs: reopening an approved project could delay construction or change bid pricing, and at least one member said they opposed reopening a plan approved 2½ years earlier. The council asked staff to prepare the history and options for the next meeting.