After much debate and community input Havre City Council made a decision that will significantly impact the future development of Havre. They decided to make official the Downtown Master Plan.
The Downtown Master Plan, created by High Plains Architects analyzes Havre’s downtown and makes suggestions for improvements. The disagreements primarily revolved around the problematic nature of reducing 1st street to a two-lane road and some believed there are more pressing issues to be addressed before envisioning the master plan. Other concern revolved around maintenance of the completed projects.
By deciding to adopt the master plan it will become an official document that can help with grants and investor funding however full implementation requires cooperation from businesses, property owners, the city, and more.
Randy Hafer, the President of High Plains Architects explains his recommendation for coordinating the implementation of the master plan.
“The implementation is a bit of a trick and we’re hoping that there will be an entity, some kind of a committee or commission formed that will head up the effort. It doesn’t mean they’re going to do everything; they’re sort of the chief cheerleaders. They put people together. They help direct people to the right resources. They help facilitate projects whether public or private. They help facilitate public private partnerships, that kind of thing. So, they don’t tell people what to do, but they’re constantly aware and looking for opportunities, and being that middle person that ca help steer people in the right direction to get things done.” -Randy Hafer
Many Havre community members have already come together to work towards the vision of the master plan. Debbie Danenberg the Co-Chair of the Havre Master Plan Steering Committee thanked the committee for their effort regarding the master plan. She said, “this plan is not a mandate. It is a guide designed to help the community envision what they want to look like in the future.”
