The day the new Butler County Prison is ready for occupancy isn't the day that the county's financial obligations to out-of-county prisons will end. Neither will it be the day the current prison closes.

Local prison officials' disclosure that two or three months might be needed for the full transition to the new facility is a reasonable, acceptable estimate, although it can be hoped that officials will be able to shave off some of that time as the process proceeds.

About 300 prisoners will be housed initially in the new prison, which is at the corner of West Cunningham and South Washington streets in the city. According to an article in Wednesday's Butler Eagle, there are a total of 184 inmates in the current prison on Vogely Street and the temporary annex in the city tier garage. Meanwhile, 105 Butler County inmates were being housed in Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Greene, Jefferson and Lawrence counties.

Strict security precautions will have to be in effect throughout the transfer process, and the need for those precautions will cause the move to take much longer than if the county attempted to move large groups of inmates at once.

But Warden Rich Gigliotti's belief that a reduction in the transition period is possible is good news to the taxpayers, although it is estimated on some fronts that operation of the new prison will be more costly than the cost of operating the current prison and housing excess prisoners elsewhere.

Some of the tasks that lie ahead in connection with the transfer of prisoners is ensuring that all new prison staff members are fully trained. Coordination also will be required with the Sheriff's Office, which transports prisoners to and from the county, and with the courts.

It seems clear that Gigliotti and his assistants have a firm handle on the task that lies before them. However, the timetable for putting the process in motion remains in limbo because of the ongoing uncertainty as to when the prison will be completed.

While the latest "official" completion date from general contractor A.G. Cullen Construction of Pittsburgh is listed as May 30, Pat Stone of Massaro Corp., the project construction manager, said at Tuesday's prison board meeting that that date might not be met because critical areas of construction were taking longer than expected to complete.

Meanwhile, there's the ongoing controversy between Cullen and the county over the county's refusal to sign a waiver of liability and warranty for working in a building without an operational heating and ventilation system.

The county has rented heaters to keep the building warm over winter, and the county has expressed the intent to deduct $27,562 for the heating costs from the next construction payment due Cullen. In response, Cullen has threatened to walk off the job if the temporary heating costs are deducted.

The prison project has been an exercise in frustration for county officials, but it has been similarly frustrating for Cullen, which was delayed in starting construction because of unavailability of structural steel on time.

That is part of the basis for the project being seven months behind the original completion date.

Even after the project is completed, left to be resolved will be the issue of whether Cullen will be penalized financially for finishing the project late. The construction contract includes the option for such a penalty.

With two county commissioners scheduled to leave office on Jan. 7, it will be up to the new board to resolve the remaining points of disagreement revolving around the project. It is to be hoped that the new board will be more proficient at achieving that than what the current board has been able to do.

Reasonable people should be able to achieve an amicable solution on all outstanding issues.

Gigliotti and his staff are being delayed for the time being in demonstrating their ability to achieve a smooth transition from old to new. To their credit, they have not delayed getting a full grip on what they will be required to do, unlike the commississioners, who embarked on the prison project without all aspects of it having been decided prior to the first shovelful of earth being turned.