If Butler Township officials would have periodically checked on the tarring and chipping of roads this summer, as that operation was in progress, they might have headed off most of the conditions that have angered residents and motorists.

The township road superintendent, especially, should have paid more attention to what was going on and intervened immediately on residents' behalf. Work of that kind, which is effective in prolonging the life of streets, does not have to be a detriment to a neighborhood in the way some of this summer's work has been judged to be.

Residents of Woodbury Estates attended a township commissioners meeting Monday to protest the way the project was carried out on streets in their neighborhood. Those residents complained about the "massive amount of chips" dumped onto the streets, which posed a danger to vehicle paint, and the fact that some of the chips ended up on lawns and in flower beds.

The commissioners merit praise for their efforts to keep township roadways in the best condition possible, but their responsibility doesn't end when the vote is taken to award resurfacing or road-treatment contracts.

In this instance the commissioners were part of an unintended disservice to some township residents. They must be careful not to repeat that disservice.