Butler's downtown Centre City project won't include the 225-space parking garage originally planned for the development.

That's good news: The city doesn't have the $4.5 million it would take to build the garage.

But the decision raises another problem: The parking spaces are badly needed.

The city parking authority Wednesday night approved a tentative agreement for the Centre City developer to install a 75-space surface lot at the corner of South McKean and East Cunningham streets. The flat lot will cost about $450,000.

This lot won't be open to the public, but instead will be leased to the 75-room Marriott Springhill Suites hotel, which is being built next door.

The hotel will be built on an existing 90-space parking lot at the corner of McKean and E. Jefferson streets.

A Rite Aid pharmacy under construction on another adjacent lot takes away 48 more parking spaces just off Main Street.

That's a net loss of 213 public parking spaces that are being used daily — some leased by professionals and employees of existing downtown businesses; others metered and used by their customers.

The new hotel and expanded pharmacy will provide parking for their own customers — but those private spaces are being created by taking away public spaces.

One of the main selling points of Centre City was that it would stimulate business activity downtown. Unfortunately, prospective new business owners will have to include parking when they cosider relocating to a downtown location — and existing downtown business owners might be forced to consider leaving the city for the same reason.

The two entities pursuing Centre City — the city's parking and redevelopment authorities — risk losing focus on this integral component. They need to take inventory of existing parking spaces in this part of the city and develop a reasonable strategy for creating more.

Cheers to the Slippery Rock Community Library, and to the anonymous couple willing to donate up to $300,000 toward construction of a new building.The library board last week announced an anonymous retired couple has pledged to match any donations that come in by Dec. 31, 2016, up to $300,000, which could net $600,000 for the library.Plans are already drawn up for a 3,000 square-foot library at 330 E. Water St. That would be a vast improvement: The current library, a room in the Slippery Rock Parks and Recreation center, provides just 283 square feet. It gets 300 to 500 visitors each month.Jan Forrest, president of the library board, said it first learned of the matching grant in May. Since then, the project has received $40,000 in donations, including a $25,000 grant from the Snyder Charitable Foundation. She said all of that money will be matched.She said the new building would permit the library to expand its collection of books, movies and magazines; to make room for additional computers and WiFi for public use; to increase programs; to have designated areas for children, youth and adults, and to have quiet areas for reading and studying.A library building fund currently stands at about $175,000. Before construction can begin, the board wants to have the needed $400,000 to cover the cost of the building, Forrest said. She hopes that can be done by spring of 2016.Forrest said private donations to the building fund are essential since no state or federal funds are available for construction.Tax-deductible donations or pledges can be sent to the Slippery Rock Community Library Building Fund, P.O. Box 25, Slippery Rock, PA 16057.

Cheers to Kevin Jarosinski. The 23-year-old Springdale resident raises beef cows, hogs and chickens on 10 acres in Buffalo Township, pursuing his lifelong dream to be a farmer.Jarosinski is doing it the old-fashioned way, including fresh grass in his chickens' diet and refusing to use antibiotics and other drugs in the production of beef, pork and poultry. He doesn't apply pesticide sprays on his fields or livestock.The work is a bit harder that way, but the young farmer finds deep satisfaction in the work — and in his quality standards. Jarosinski has discovered what more young farmers should know — there's a market willing to pay top dollar for high-quality, organic, non-chemical meat products. His regular customers include two Butler County restaurants whose menus proudly state that they sell Mark Jarosinski Farm poultry products.Jarosinski says he's fortunate his farm is a designated agricultural security area, which protects him from nuisance or zoning regulations intended to limit or impede his farming activities.It would be good to see other government enticements to lure young people into agriculture. In an era that favors megafarms, processed foods and franchised fast-food chains, it's good — and healthy — to have niche restaurants and stores supplied by independent farmers, who voluntarily strive for a higher standard, and refuse to take short cuts in achieving it.