The Butler School Board is correct in wanting to address district capital projects needs and recognizing the advantages of refinancing a bond issue to achieve its objectives.

Current low interest rates add to the attractiveness of the plan.

But that said, the board can be criticized for incomplete planning tied to the refinancing. While the board knows some of the things it wants to accomplish, it still hasn’t identified all of the things for which the money would be used.

Yet the board, in connection with the refinancing, intends to add about $2.5 million to the district’s indebtedness, an obligation for the taxpayers.

Considering the low interest-rate opportunities currently available, it might even make sense to borrow more at this time. However, the board can’t make an educated decision on that if it hasn’t fully evaluated the situation it wants to address.

The board intends to develop a list of projects by mid-June, but that should have been done before the past week’s refinancing decision.

What already has been decided is that the bond issue will help pay for school roof repairs, but other projects remain uncertain.

It makes sense to know what money will be spent for before applying for extra money. District taxpayers do that within their households, and the school board should do that too.

Cheers The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau is justified in being optimistic about the future.Having just celebrated the 10th anniversary of its existence, it continues to demonstrate that it has no intention to relax its promotion of the county as an interesting and exciting place to visit.Judging from how it has continued to expand its positive influence, its second decade will likely produce many more successes, including more help for others involved in advancing the local tourist trade.In connection with its anniversary celebration, the bureau provided a good example of how it can help others while advancing the overall tourism picture.Specifically, the bureau awarded 12 grants of $2,450 each to bureau members who sought funding for specific projects. That the efforts and successes of the agency are being noticed was evident in the fact that 29 bureau members applied for the grants.Because the bureau allocated only $30,000 for the grants, it was unable to fund all of the requests.However, the grants awarded represent a diverse mix of the tourism-partnership effort. Some of the recipients were Moraine Preservation Fund, Butler-Freeport Community Trail Council, the Butler Parks and Recreation Department, Butler Downtown and Slippery Rock University’s Old Stone House.It’s to be hoped similar grants can be awarded in the years ahead.A tourism program doesn’t just happen. It involves hard work and study regarding tourism assets and what communities can do to advance tourism.The Butler County agency has made significant progress over the past decade and, looking ahead, many more successes are possible.

CheersIf the bipartisanship that existed in Pennsylvania’s state capital on Tuesday was a regular occurrence in the General Assembly, much more could be accomplished and more of the state’s problems could more reasonably be resolved.While it was appropriate for state lawmakers and Gov. Tom Corbett to honor former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward for his football accomplishments and volunteer work, state residents would feel much more confident in their state elected officials if that bipartisanship extended to everyday business.Unfortunately, unproductive partisanship routinely stymies progress in the Legislature.“He (Ward) has represented what I think are the finest attributes of a team player and a hard worker,” Corbett said.The possibilities would be endless if lawmakers committed themselves to being team players and hard workers on behalf of what’s good for the state, rather than political adversaries.A jeer would be appropriate for the usual partisanship that prevails, but the time with Ward should cause lawmakers to reflect on the positive possibilities that would exist amid a spirit of compromise.“I wanted to represent not only the city of Pittsburgh but the whole state of Pennsylvania,” Ward said at a news conference.It would be encouraging if lawmakers more often would demonstrate, first and foremost, their dedication to the best interests of the state and its residents, rather than to stubborn positions rooted primarily in politics.That might be a lot to ask amid the usual mood in the state capital but, as the time with Ward showed, it’s not impossible.Lawmakers on both sides of the legislative aisle should commit themselves to a greater spirit of productive teamwork rather than unproductive confrontation.