There has been so much bad news regarding construction of the new Butler County Prison that some county taxpayers no doubt have been wondering whether they would live to see the project completed. At the very least, they've been awaiting solid indication that the project's end is in sight.

That long-sought-after news seems to have finally arrived. Barring something unexpected, an uninterrupted push toward completion seems to be on track as a result of the county commissioners' approval of agreements Thursday with three contractors.

Those contractors wanted more money due to the general construction work stoppage that began last December. General construction shut down when the original general contractor, A.G. Cullen of Pittsburgh, walked off the job due to a payment dispute with the county.

While the county faces uncertainties tied to lawsuits filed against it in connection with the project, at least the prospects for completion now appear more real than they have been for more than half a year.

The outside legal team the county assembled to get the project back on track has turned out to be a good investment. First, its efforts can be construed as having been instrumental in terms of setting the stage for Cullen's bonding company to bring on a replacement general contractor. That company is Rycon Construction, also of Pittsburgh.

Then, when two of the three contractors seeking more money stemming from the shutdown of work in December refused to return to the project unless they received more money — the two companies initially said they were seeking approximately $1 million each — the legal team was faced with helping to resolve that situation.

Clista Electric, the prime contractor for security wiring and a subcontractor for general electrical work, is returning for an additional $250,000. Meanwhile, Wayne Crouse, the prime contractor for heating, air conditioning and ventilation, is getting an additional $275,000.

The third contractor, Enders Plumbing & Heating of Kittanning, while not having left the job, nonetheless sought additional money, eventually accepting $25,000.

Clista and Crouse sought the extra money to help defray costs associated with bringing personnel and equipment back to the construction site. The amounts initially sought had seemed excessive, even to casual observers.

Had the agreements with Clisa and Crouse not been forthcoming as quickly as they were achieved, Rycon's announced plan to complete construction by April 14, 2009, could have been seriously jeopardized.

As of Thursday's commissioners action, there was no indication that that April date cannot be met but, all considered, it would be understandable if that date were missed by a few days.

The prison project has provided many tests for past and current county leaders. The project has been the centerpiece of questionable decision making, missed deadlines, and flawed cooperation on a number of fronts.

Even when the project is finished, county government won't immediately shed the negative perceptions over how the project was handled — especially the former board of commissioners, which made at least several notable mistakes, including setting an inflexible Oct. 13, 2007, completion date that failed to take into account problems beyond the former general contractor's control.

But now it appears that a new construction scenario for the project has been firmly planted.

That's good news for county taxpayers who, unfortunately, still must fear how the project whose cost has ballooned by $10 million since it began — to $40 million — will impact their property tax bills in the years ahead.