While the timetables for the City of Butler's various revitalization initiatives remain unclear, despite years of discussion, Slippery Rock Borough continues to move forward on actually bringing its plans to life.

The official start of Phase II of the Slippery Rock effort last week reinforces the vision and determination that allowed the community to complete the project's first phase.

With the knowledge and experience gained through that initial phase, it would seem that the community should be able to tackle this and other future work efficiently and harmoniously as needs and resources dictate.

While state money is playing a big part in the Slippery Rock revitalization, borough leaders have been willing to borrow money as a means for helping the projects succeed, as evidenced by Tuesday's correct decision to borrow $100,000 to help pay for part of the Phase II work.

The council borrowed $200,000 for the first phase.

Of course, the arrival of winter will limit what Phase II work can be accomplished quickly, but the project will be poised to move full speed ahead in the spring.

Phase II, which will center on the area on Franklin Street between Main Street and Grove City Road, will include relocation of utility lines, paving, installation of decorative sidewalks and streetlights, and planting of trees.

This new revitalization phase will continue the Phase I work begun two years ago on Main Street. That work included burying of utilities, new parks, community murals, a kiosk and a number of other amenities.

Start-up work already is under way for Phase II, including removal of some trees that would have been in the way of new utilities.

But the bulk of the work will be done after the winter weather is past.

When the history of Slippery Rock is updated in coming years, no doubt a chapter will focus on Slippery Rock Development and what the nonprofit organization was able to accomplish in terms of community improvements.

It is the organization overseeing the overall revitalization effort.

To date, the organization has acquired more than $6 million in grants and private donations for the revitalization, and contributions still are being accepted.

The basic building block of revitalization is vision, and plenty of that has been demonstrated in Slippery Rock's two ventures.

Aiding the community's efforts has been the unwillingness to be shy in the pursuit of funding.

Slippery Rock officials let it be clearly known that they had plans and financial projections for the work being contemplated, and that enhanced the borough's standing in terms of receiving state funding.

Phase II carries a price tag of $1.6 million. The total cost of the first phase was $5.3 million.

Slippery Rock has good reason to be proud of what the community has accomplished to date. It is to be hoped that it will continue to be a shining example of what others could accomplish by imitating its winning formula for success.