The Dalles City Council received a presentation on what it would take to place utilities in the downtown area underground, and learned it would take a lot of money.  The cost estimate was $48 million for a project that would take eight to ten years to complete.  Mayor Rich Mays says that’s prohibitive to do all at once, and it also would be a complex project that would be disruptive to the affected area.  Councilors decided to concentrate on other projects that were less costly and bring improvements to the community.  But undergrounding is possible as other projects are undertaken, and the work can be done as properties are redeveloped.