A number of businesses on Main Street in downtown Butler have been getting a face-lift in recent weeks, and hopefully people who visit them will compliment the merchants and building owners about the improvements.

The city has financial problems, but the painting and other work being done delivers an optimistic message — that while the business district is faced with challenges, especially from the malls and shopping centers, it intends to remain a vibrant asset and a place where shoppers can continue to rely on excellent, personalized service.

The fact that the current work is under way at the time of a big community event also is notable. Cruise-A-Palooza will bring thousands of people to the downtown on Sunday and, while much of the focus will be on the cars on display and other features tied to the event, those who come to Main and adjoining streets will have the opportunity to notice the new, clean face that is evolving in the business district.

There's still much to do in the business district. Improvements are needed to some other businesses' facades, and the large-scale Centre City project remains just a vision. However, the work being done now exudes confidence about the future.

In late fall, the city council should adopt a resolution acknowledging the positive efforts that this year has brought, and present a framed copy of that resolution to every business that has made improvements.

The resolutions should be displayed prominently by those businesses, testifying to their pride in being a part of the community.

Eric Gordon, a member of the Seneca Valley School Board who represents part of Cranberry Township, deserves positive notice for his courage in speaking out against his district teachers' unwillingness to agree to a one-year wage freeze requested by Gov. Tom Corbett.No doubt many other school board members in Butler County share his views, but most have chosen not to criticize the teachers and their union, for whatever reason.Teachers in none of the county's school districts agreed to the sacrifice that the governor sought, to help the districts deal with lower state subsidies stemming from the commonwealth's financial difficulties.A front-page article in the June 15 Butler Eagle reported Gordon's comments, none of which were out of line, all considered.The Seneca Valley board was faced with a $10 million shortfall going into 2011-12 budget preparations and ended up approving a 5.6 percent property tax increase to help the district balance the budget.A teacher pay freeze would have put as much as $1 million back into the budget and would have had positive budget implications for 2012-13 and beyond. School districts' current budget challenges are predicted to spill over into 2012-13 and possibly for several additional years.Gordon, who said he had gotten incredible amounts of feedback from district residents angry about the teachers' refusal, said in part: “They (teachers) have to understand if they're not willing to help out, the picture for Seneca Valley is going to be a lot different without their support.”Some of what Gordon said should have been said in the county's other school districts as well but, unfortunately, wasn't.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association should have the backbone to stand behind its decisions without trying to deflect criticism and without urging school districts to take actions with implications that the union doesn't fully understand.But that's what PSEA spokesman Marcus Schlegel attempted to do when he, in essence, criticized the Seneca Valley School Board for its unwillingness to sell a $10 million piece of land in Cranberry Township to resolve the district's $10 million 2011-12 budget deficit.Schlegel was trying to deflect criticism from Seneca Valley teachers' refusal to accept a one-year pay freeze proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett.The PSEA and Schlegel shouldn't have to be told that Seneca Valley's property holdings and intentions for the land are none of their business.The issue at hand has been the teachers' refusal to accept the freeze, and Schlegel and the PSEA shouldn't make excuses to try to shift blame on anyone else.