The Zelienople Borough Council and the Marion Township, Beaver County, supervisors merit positive notice for their cooperative effort at repairing a waterline that froze and burst during the winter.

Both communities use the line, which crosses the West New Castle Street bridge, as a connection to their secondary water source.

Each community will spend up to $30,000 for the repair work, even though the line technically is owned by the township.

As a means for moving the project forward more quickly, the Zelienople council declared the possibility of an emergency water need this summer. Scholars Run, the borough's primary water source, dries during droughts.

The emergency status for the project will allow the communities to bypass the standard bidding process. The only problem with that is the risk that the communities might not get the work done for the lowest price possible.

Earlier attention to the issue could have allowed for bidding as well as timely completion of the work.

As an additional show of cooperation, the borough agreed to loan Marion Township up to $30,000 to pay for its share of the work. That will allow the township to get the work done without having to navigate a loan process through the state.

Both municipalities are setting an excellent example by the way they are working together on behalf of this necessary initiative.

In his latest mailing to 3rd Congressional District residents, U.S. Rep. Phil English reports that he is supporting legislation that would help increase retirement security for millions of American workers who would not otherwise have access to a payroll deduction retirement savings plan. The measure, House Resolution 2167, which is titled the Automatic IRA Act of 2007, would require employers without retirement plans to establish an automatic payroll deduction to an individual retirement account.As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over the issue, English is well-positioned to help move the legislation forward. He merits praise for the support he is giving the measure and for getting the message out to his constituents about the initiative.Estella Hyde, a member of the Pennsylvania executive council of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), has made a good point that the bill is "an important test of whether the leadership on Capitol Hill and the White House will address the issue of financial insecurity that is affecting so many people" in the United States.According to the AARP, only about half of 150 million paid workers in this country have some form of pension coverage provided by their employer.People who would like to discuss the issue with the congressman will have the opportunity during a town hall meeting at 2:30 p.m. June 23 at the Saxonburg Area Library.

A jeer in the June 3 edition of the Butler Eagle criticized the dangerous bike-riding practices of some children in the city."Since the onset of warm weather, roadways such as West Jefferson and West Cunningham streets, South Chestnut Street, the Island neighborhood in general and West Penn and West Brady streets have been beset with dangerous riding practices by children old enough to know better," the jeer pointed out.Wednesday proved that the dangerous bike-riding was continuing. Two boys were injured when their bike collided with a minivan at West Brady Street and Mitchell Avenue.The accident happened when the boys, who were on one bike, ignored a stop sign and traveled into the intersection. Fortunately, their injuries were reported to be minor.The June 3 jeer said "some Butler parents could be planning funerals instead of vacations this summer if they don't emphasize bicycle safety to their children."That observation remains valid.