Pine Haven: Council plans to map town infrastructure

With no visitors and reports from only a couple of departments over these slow winter months, the Pine Haven Council was able to finish the town business within an hour last Tuesday. There were, though, a couple of highlights of interest.

Public Works

Among other seasonal situations Public Works Director Sunny Schell is taking care of, she is following up on the council’s plan for mapping the town’s infrastructure to better serve residents. Through a Geographic Information System (GIF), every pipe, hydrant, valve, meter pit, etc. will be mapped and Schell, as well as the fire department, will be able to pull the information up on their phones when needed.

Schell spoke to the value of the GIS for the fire department: “They’ll know exactly where the hydrant is, how many feet it is to the next hydrant and the flow rate. So that will be really helpful.”

She said that the system also keeps track of maintenance on the lines, so, “It will have the last time [a hydrant] was maintained, the last flushing, pressure and all that.”

The governing body has hired Tim Lyons, who also works for Crook County, as an independent consultant to assist the town with the installation and set up of a Geographic Information System (GIF). Mayor Karla Brandenburg hopes to see this lead the town to be better prepared for problems in the future.

“[He’s] going to help us locate all…the things we’ve had issues with not knowing where they’re at. Hopefully, this will put us on the start to the right path,” she said.

Fire Gear

Due to the expiration of the department’s bunker gear and radios, Pine Haven Fire Chief TJ Gideon has sought and was awarded a grant for $7500 from the PreCorp Foundation and Basin Electric, $7000 from the recent Carl Mirich Poker Tournament fundraiser, another $5000 from the PreCorp Foundation and Basin Electric ($2500 from each) equaling $19,500.

“We’re going to be able to gear everybody up; it’s great!” he said.

Four volunteer firemen from Pine Haven, including Gideon, will be attending structure fire training in Moorcroft, bringing their level of qualification to Firefighter 1. However, this training takes a great deal of commitment. Gideon said, “We’ll do it on the weekends; it takes a lot of time.”

Councilman Don Lancaster commended the group for their dedication to reaching this higher level of training and advised others to do so as well, “Be sure to tell them how much we appreciate it.”

Protecting the Town

Lancaster was pleased to inform his fellows and the audience of the return of the Montana Conservation Corp on March 14. The group, sponsored by the Bureau of Reclamation, began work creating a comprehensive buffer zone around the perimeter of the township a number of years ago, but their efforts were temporarily stymied due to the pandemic.

After the blaze last year, the importance of their efforts is more fully recognized by many.

“If anyone sees them out there working, give them a thank you.” Lancaster advised, “They’ve done a lot of work and have a lot to go.”

Councilman John Henle suggested hosting a lunch for the crew sometime during their two week sojourn – a suggestion the other members of the body were pleased to support.