Maybe not replacing a large window broken for months is the Butler Parking Authority’s idea of a summmer ventilation program for the south stairwell of the tier parking garage in Butler. Seeing the shards of glass in the large metal window frame for months now, people have to wonder if anyone is on the job at the parking authority.

The inaction on the part of the parking authority to replace the window stands in stark contrast to the large windows at the Battery Warehouse at 469 W. Cunningham St. that were quickly replaced after being broken when a car struck the building on June 6.

People using the upper decks of the tier garage and using the southern stairwell have seen the shards of broken glass in the 4-foot-by-10-foot metal window frame for months. The Butler Parking Authority inaction suggests people on the authority’s board don’t care about the appearance of their facility or are unaware of the problem.

A simple paper sign near the street level door of the stairwell explaining when the new glass is scheduled for installation would let people know that the authority had taken some action and has a plan.

Maybe when blowing snow begins to accumulate in the stairwell, the authority will take some action. Like too much around Butler, it appears to be a case of benign neglect — and that sends the wrong message about a town trying to revitalize itself.

Jeer The roadway-surface treatment dubbed tar-and-chip is used on some streets and highways to extend their life.One of the benefits: The proc-ess fills in cracks that could evolve into potholes.But common sense should rule when the process is used. Unfortunately, common sense was absent when the tarring-and-chipping of Whitestown Road took place during the past week.The excess of stone chips dumped onto the roadway as it was being oiled — and then allowed to remain there for motorists to navigate — was a demonstration of shortsightedness. The culprit responsible for the mess was the state Department of Transportation, which should have known better than to allow the condition to exist as long as it did.What were the supervisors in charge of the project — and likely present when the oiling and chipping was happening — thinking?A reasonable question is how many vehicle windshields were chipped or cracked, and how much damage was done to vehicles’ paint, until some of the excessive stones were cleaned up on Thursday.Butler Township Manager Ed Kirkwood said Thursday that he contacted PennDOT about the situation after he encountered it.The situation would not have been so unconscionable if Whitestown weren’t heavily traveled. But Whitestown is a busy roadway.On Wednesday, amid the deep concentrations of chips, vehicles were in a virtual war zone with stones and dust flying as vehicles encountered one another.While motorists could keep a safe distance from vehicles ahead of them, they had no such cushion of safety when encountering vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.When PennDOT or any other governmental entity uses the tar-and-chip process, which is not bad if proper precautions are taken, they should demonstrate consideration, not only for the vehicles that will be using the roadways in the days ahead, but for safety also.The excess of stones that remained after Whitestown received the tar-and-chip treatment created a slippery and dangerous condition.

Cheer Even for a good cause, some men would be reluctant to have their heads shaved.But 13 executives with Quality Life Services in Butler overcame any reluctance they might have had — and their hair — to raise money for two fellow employees to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for a Cure last month in Boston.After having their heads shaved, the men’s hair was auctioned off, raising some $700 toward the $4,600 total that the two fellow employees needed for their walk participation.The prospect of having no hair might be unnerving to some men, but those in question deserve a thumbs-up for casting aside any second thoughts they might have had after agreeing to “go bald.”

Cheer Butler should be working to put on a sparkling face for the upcoming Jeep festival. Litter should be removed from streets, curbs and sidewalks, and storefronts’ windows should be washed.There are some people in Butler who don’t need an upcoming event to provide incentive for tidying their property or the area in front of it — including trimming of hedges and shrubbery.One woman in the 300 block of West Brady Street can be seen on a regular basis picking up litter or trimming her hedges. A similar commitment to beautification was evident on Whippo Avenue the other day as a woman, with plastic bag in hand, picked up litter from along the curb in front of her home.Then there was the city resident who was picking up broken glass Thursday evening on Cecelia Street.Those three people epitomize what should be much more widespread throughout the city’s neighborhoods, regardless of the economic status of the residents.Such efforts also are healthy in terms of being out in the fresh air, rather than being cooped up in front of a TV set or computer.The upcoming Jeep festival shouldn’t be the only incentive for keeping the city clean at this time and, fortunately, some residents already understand that.