Nothing junks up the yard as quickly as parking an unsightly container in it.

For many of the 7,000 people within walking distance of the North Side's Allegheny Commons, that park is their yard. It's where they walk their dogs, play catch with their children, exercise or spend hours relaxing with the neighbors. They don't want a large metal structure marring the green space, and who can blame them?

That's why more than 100 residents attended a meeting Monday to voice their opposition to a Duquesne Light Co. plan to install a cooling station on park land. The power company says it needs the station to house transmission equipment to upgrade service and allow for more efficient cooling of lines. Electric lines run under it, between substations in Lawrenceville and Brunot's Island in the Ohio River, infrastructure that is critical for providing reliable electrical service to Downtown and the North Side.

But at what cost?

Allegheny Commons is the oldest park in Pittsburgh, dating to 1867, when the North Side still was the separate municipality of Allegheny City. The park is in the midst of a $2.2-million, 10-year restoration project that includes plans for a formal promenade, fountains and additional trees.

Anyone who has visited the grand entrance to Highland Park or the renovation that transformed Schenley Plaza in Oakland has witnessed the dramatic difference in atmosphere and utility that such work can accomplish. Any homeowner who has poured money, time and effort into improving his own property can appreciate the desire of North Siders to fight encroachment on the neighborhood's retreat.

The Allegheny Commons is public property, and it's hard to understand the assertion that Duquesne Light has rights to it. Even if it can make a successful argument to take it over, the utility would need permission, something City Council should deny.

The utility should find another way to meet the demands for power from its North Side and Downtown customers without damaging this public asset.

Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.