Having fence sections on each side would work...I was always told there should be an opening to make your home welcoming. Later a curved walkway leading to your front door could be added. This would help direct attention to your front entrance even if the walkway is seldom used. The lamp post could be incorporated into the planting bed beautifully, even used for a flowering clematis perhaps. I would only use taller anchoring shrubs on the outside ends so the fence itself does not become disconnected from each other. You could use lower evergreens in the planting beds for winter interest. If you do put in a path to the front door I think a grey PA flagstone randomly placed would be beautiful with your blue house. At some point a small sitting area under the large tree near your front porch could be amazing. You could use the same flagstones, along large planters rather than trying to deal with tree roots, groundcovers, fountain....ahhh, the beautiful things you can do! I can't wait to see in-progress pictures. I think starting with the fence will make everthing else fall into place. This project should keep you busy until you are ready to tackle the porch area

Update, I spoke to both the county representative and the lawyer today. The county representative was very nice, except for the fact that he spoke to me as if I was an idiot (in his very polite southern way). I politely, but firmly, told him that I didn't have a good feeling about the project, especially when he told me I wouldn't be able to plant anything on the easement. Um, WTH??? Anyway, he said he'd get back to me. He did, and said that they while they are going to dig up the front of my yard where the pipe connects to the storm drain, they are going to extend that pipe to the grassy part of my side yard and then go back, bypassing some of my more extensive hard and land scaping. I asked to see the new plan, and he said he would send it. I also sent the plans to the lawyer and he is looking into it. He reiterated what you all have said here about calculating property value from the easement and compensation for the loss of landscaping (good news, they will likely dig up the junipers in the front, which we want to get rid of anyway!). I already compiled a list of the plants that may be disturbed by this work, here is a rundown: a dozen mature trees, 2 dozen junipers (only some I don't want) 45 roses, mostly Teas and Austins about 3 dozen more shrubs, azaleas, hydrangeas, spireas, abelias, butterfly bushes, lantanas, hollies about 120 irises and foxglove. If you look at this picture my yard is the one with the big L going through it . You can see the existing pipe and I drew a line where I think the new pipe is going to be. We will see what happens next.

If a utility company damages your property during maintenance of their equipment, then they will repair it for you when their work is complete. However, if you have any trees that interfere with their utility lines they have the right to "maintain" the trees and do a "slice and dice" job on the trees. I've seen some pretty bad hack jobs on trees by utility companies. But they pay for all tree work to maintain their lines. We once had a huge cottonwood tree that had been pretty badly hacked by utility companies before we purchased the home. I was going to have the tree removed but never got around to it. One day the utility company came a knocking and told me they needed access to my yard to trim the tree branches that were touching the utility lines. I told them I was going to have the tree removed so have at it. They asked if I wanted them to remove the tree and I was ecstatic. They removed the tree at no cost when I would have been looking at several hundred dollars to have someone come in to do it for me.

at one of our tower sites we have 2 street lights, one up front on the pole the transformers are on, and one in the rear of the lot. the rear light is fed by 12/2 UF that runs about 300 ft and is unprotected at either end. so for a POCO install this seems standard.