As discussion continues in Evans City over whether the local police department should give way to a police contract with another municipality, it’s become clear that the borough council didn’t do enough homework before proposing the idea.

Before pushing for a new police setup, the council should have made a thorough financial evaluation of the department, for now as well as projections for the future. But only now has the council decided to join in a 20-year financial study that will include an analysis of expected police services. The study will be carried out in a joint effort with borough police Chief Joe McCombs.

At Monday’s council meeting, McCombs provided strong reasons for why the council should rethink the possibility of entering a contract in which Jackson Township police would take over patrol responsibilities in the borough.

McCombs said it would make fiscal sense to determine if the borough could sustain a long-term police merger with Jackson. “In seven years from now, it may cost you a lot more money to stay in that service,” he said.

In the view of the chief, it would be difficult financially for the borough to return to local coverage if it were to decide now to contract with another municipality.

“Let’s be honest. If you go into a venture like this, you’re not coming back out of it,” he said.

That point is not wild speculation; it’s true that a new start-up would pose a major financial, staffing and planning challenge.

There is significant community support for retaining the local department, but the borough needs a thorough financial and logistical analysis that up to now has been missing.

The council should have all the facts at hand before it considers such an important move.

CheerHopefully the PNC Foundation’s generous support of Butler’s Maridon Museum will be an incentive for other groups to step forward to help this local treasure.The PNC Foundation, which is based in Pittsburgh, has approved a $100,000 grant to help the museum establish a $2.5 million endowment to support the museum.Meanwhile, community fundraising for the endowment kicked off Friday with an event at the Butler Country Club in Penn Township.The museum, which opened in May 2004, was a gift from the late Mary Phillips. It houses Phillips’ collection of ivory, jade and porcelain works of art drawn from more than 4,000 years of Chinese and Japanese history. Also contained in the museum is 18th- and 19th-century German Meissen porcelain, which also was collected by Phillips.As part of the announcement of PNC’s gift, Michael Labriola, foundation deputy executive director, said, “The Maridon Museum promotes greater understanding and appreciation of Asian art and culture and adds to the cultural diversity of Western Pennsylvania.“For this region to prosper, we must be viewed as welcoming to diverse populations and foster an environment which encourages them to settle here or grow a business.”The endowment fundraising will be a three-year effort, according to Roxanne Boozer, Maridon’s executive director.A generous gift like PNC’s is a great way to shift the fundraising into high gear.

Cheer On Wednesday, 18-year-old Rob Ashmore of Valencia demonstrated that he already possesses important qualities that he’ll need when he begins his U.S. Navy service in about a month. Among them are bravery and the ability to make a quick decision.Ashmore, a volunteer firefighter with the Adams Area Fire District, entered a house filling with smoke resulting from a kitchen blaze to rescue a couple’s grandchildren. He made the rescue despite not being clothed in firefighter gear.He said later that he put his shirt over his mouth and ran inside to make the rescue.Ashmore lives on the same street where the fire occurred.The young firefighter realized that he didn’t have much time to think about what to do, so he didn’t hesitate to do what he felt was necessary, despite the danger to his own well-being.During his upcoming Navy service, there might be times when Ashmore is called upon for quick thinking and bravery.What he accomplished on Wednesday is consistent with the kind of qualities the Navy seeks in those who become a part of that branch of military service.