Article published Apr 10, 2008

City manager wants to know role in Highwood project

By RICHARD ECKE

Tribune Staff Writer

New Great Falls City Manager Greg Doyon wants to know whether he should continue to be the city's point man at monthly meetings regarding the Highwood Generating Station.

Retired manager John Lawton and the city's fiscal officer, Coleen Balzarini, typically attended monthly meetings in Billings, where the Southern Montana Electric Generation & Transmission Cooperative is based.

Doyon told commissioners at an agenda-setting meeting Wednesday, held in offices at the city's sewage-treatment plant, that he is concerned about devoting a couple of days per month to the Billings meetings while he is trying to learn about Great Falls' government.

"Not that this isn't an important issue," Doyon said of the proposed coal-fired power plant east of Great Falls. The city is a member of SME and gets its electricity through the cooperative. In turn, the city sells much of that power to area businesses through its electric utility, Electric City Power.

"There are things on that plant unfolding weekly," Doyon said.

Doyon got varying reactions from commissioners.

"You've got a learning curve in a lot of different areas," Commissioner Bill Beecher said. "Coleen is the one to be that representative (in Billings)."

Commissioner Mary Jolley suggested Doyon would learn a lot by staying in town and working on the city's budget.

"You're going to gain knowledge from the numbers," Jolley said.

However, Commissioner Bill Bronson suggested Doyon attend at least one SME monthly meeting.

"I don't think you're going to be fully comfortable until you've looked at it," Bronson said.

Commissioners decided to mull over the issue.

"We'll think about how we'll need to divide up your time," Commissioner John Rosenbaum said.

Doyon said several people have asked to talk to him about the power plant project, but he's not sure how to respond.

"The city's direction has already been given," Doyon told commissioners. "You're the audience that should be getting that perspective." Doyon said he will figure out how to handle those requests.

The power plant project lost potential federal financing earlier this year, and the cooperative is trying to obtain private financing instead. Its prospects are uncertain.

Also uncertain are prospects for downtown's Conrad Bank Building, at 324 Central Ave., where a fire two years ago severely damaged the building. Before the fire, the building housed B&B Loan and Rental.

Bronson said he hoped a way could be found to save and renovate the building, rather than see it torn down and create an ugly vacant lot. He wondered if NeighborWorks might want to take on the project.

Other commissioners were pessimistic, suggesting the economic climate might not be ideal for such a big investment. Beecher said architect Bill Stuff put about $700,000 into a building at 412 Central Ave. in recent years. Beecher said an auctioneer tried to sell the WRS Architecture and Design property at a bank foreclosure auction Saturday, with a minimum bid price of $250,000, and didn't receive any bids.

Rosenbaum said construction officials looked at the Conrad Bank Building and decided it would be too costly to renovate.

"It won't pencil," he said. Plus, federal money is scarce to fund such a project, he said.

"It would be a hard one to put together," Beecher said.

Jolley and Mayor Dona Stebbins both said they doubted the building could be saved.

Owner Tony Longin said he decided not to renovate the historic bank building because of uncertainties over what it would cost.

"I think it's a sad situation," Jolley said. "I don't think we can save that building."