The prolonged blast of snowy weather that Butler endured over the past month or so concealed the damage to the veterans bricks in Diamond Park.

Perhaps snow-removal work at the park in recent weeks caused additional damage to what had occurred last winter and was not repaired. The fact that damaged bricks weren't repaired or replaced last spring or summer was a topic of discussion as recently as October.

But the past week's melting snow exposed another ugly chapter regarding the bricks, which recognize honoraby discharged veterans — the bricks, which carried a price tag of $200 each, were sold to help finance the World War II Memorial in the park. During the past week, cracked and broken bricks lay haphazardly on the sidewalk in front of the park as if they were construction debris.

To label such a situation disrespectful to the veterans to whom the bricks are dedicated is an understatement. This county should not allow such a disgrace to prevail, even if it requires sending a county employee to the park every day or two to check on the bricks and pick up any pieces that are displaced.

In October, when the issue of the bricks not having been repaired was in the news, John Cyprian, county director of veterans services, said, "It's my project. I created it. I want it (repairs) done as quickly as everyone else does."

With that laudable intention, Cyprian should also exercise personal responsibility in terms of having broken, dislodged bricks removed from the sidewalk.

It is not only Butler residents who are seeing damaged bricks on the sidewalk in front of Diamond Park. Visitors to the city use that sidewalk also.

The people of Butler respect the love of country and sacrifices of the county's veterans; people here don't look down on that service.

Unfortunately, the disrespectful situation that existed for all to see during the past week would, to some people, suggest otherwise.

The Mars School Board was right in accepting the reality of current economic conditions and opting against building a new baseball field.This is a time when many district taxpayers are hard-pressed financially. They shouldn't have to shoulder an expenditure that isn't absolutely necessary, like a new baseball field.While the board wasn't off-base in judging that a new field to serve the community and Mars Area Baseball Association would be desirable, a new field isn't needed to serve the school district's varsity and junior varsity teams, which are a more pressing consideration for the board.The varsity team plays at Marburger Field in Mars, and the junior varsity team, on a field on Mars-Evans City Road.The focal point of the proposal to build the new baseball facility is the Davidson Road field, which board president Kimberly Geyer said should have been refurbished or replaced 10 years ago.But at Tuesday's board meeting, Geyer, who had proposed building a new baseball field on a farm property next to the Centennial School entrance, said, "With these economic times, I can't justify spending half a million dollars for a baseball field."She's right. And, she was speaking more in the taxpayers' best interests when she suggested, for now, replacing the Davidson fencing — which the board decided will be done — and installing a hooded backstop. She also said new dugouts would be in order.But all of those suggestions might be deemed by some taxpayers to be inappropriate at this time, with so many economic uncertainties still in play.There might be a day when district resources and better economic times will allow building a new baseball field without any significant burden on the taxpayers. Unfortunately, this is not that time.

It won't help ease budget concerns or be the basis for any big projects. However, a small-but-positive gesture from Zelienople toward Harmony that was announced Tuesday is another upbeat step in the spirit of cooperation that has existed between the two boroughs for about 35 years.It was at a Harmony Borough Council meeting that Zelienople Police Chief Jim Miller reported that decals symbolizing the long-existing cooperation between the two communities had been affixed to the Zelienople police cruisers.On the cruisers now are decals that feature the Zelienople and Harmony logos, along with another decal of a handshake meant to depict the unity of purpose that has marked the two communities' relationship with one another.Zelienople has been providing police protection for its neighbor under an agreement that first took effect in 1975. Miller said at Tuesday's meeting that the agreement is one of the longest-standing intermunicipal agreements in the commonwealth.Harmony pays Zelienople about $40,000 a year for police coverage."It's just a nice effort to recognize Harmony and the long relationship we've had," Miller said of the decals.By emphasizing that relationship, the decals also carry the message that when the cruisers are in Harmony, they're not just passing through — that they're likely on patrol duty for that borough or responding to a call.Thus, the decals, which did not involve any cost to Harmony, are informative as well as a nice touch proclaiming the good relationship that the two communities enjoy.More communities should open themselves to the kind of intergovernmental cooperation that Zelienople and Harmony have been able to nourish.<B><I> — J.R.K.</B></I>