Despite the lingering issue about whether Butler County's new prison is being built in the best location, it's troubling that the prison project appears to have been accorded secondary status, as shown by the indefinite delay in structural steel delivery.

That's in no way acceptable, and county officials should not withhold their public, verbal displeasure over what has evolved.

There's no excuse for anyone saying or implying that steel demand in China is contributing to the delay. Contracts are executed for a purpose — to ensure that needs and timetables are addressed.

Americans' contracts with American companies shouldn't play second fiddle to foreign enterprises and their needs.

Any contractor who couldn't deliver in terms of Butler County's needs — who couldn't wield enough priority among suppliers to ensure smooth, steady progress on the project — should not have bid for the work.

As troubling as the uncertainty over when the structural steel will arrive is the unavailability of straight answers.

Fred Williams, general contractor A.G. Cullen's project manager for the new-prison construction, deferred questions about the steel shipment to Pat Stone, on-site manager for the county's construction manager, Massaro Corp.

Stone said simply that Cullen must meet the final Oct. 13, 2007, completion deadline or face penalties under the terms of the $21.9 million general construction contract. But that doesn't guarantee that Cullen will be able to finish on time, which presumably would scuttle the county's plans for beginning to move prisoners into the new lockup.

There's also the question of how the structural steel delay will affect other companies under contract for other aspects of the prison work. They are being held hostage by Cullen's failure to keep the project from grinding to a virtual halt.

Cullen is buying the structural steel from Amthor Steel of Erie. Amthor's project manager was unavailable for comment earlier this week. That unavailability provides no reassurance to county taxpayers that Amthor is on top of the situation.

William O'Donnell, county chief clerk, pointed out that any price increase for the steel during the course of the delay would not be borne by county taxpayers. That is a given — a contract price is a contract price, unless there are officially approved change orders that result in cost modifications.

However, there always are costs — monetary and those not involving money — associated with a contractor not living up to the terms under which it agreed to abide.

The new prison, the total cost of which has not been absolutely pinpointed by county officials but which could be well above $40 million, is being built along South Washington and West Cunningham streets. By a 2-1 vote, the commissioners voted against building the facility on county-owned land near Sunnyview Nursing Home.

That decision, which required a vertically constructed prison rather than a horizontal facility, still is being questioned in some quarters.

No doubt some county residents are wondering whether the current structural steel snafu would have occurred if the county had opted for a horizontal, one-story facility.

It's time for all concerned to go on the record about what really is happening regarding the project and not hide behind a shield of unavailability. That includes telling the taxpayers what the prison really is going to cost.

Nothing less is acceptable.

If the commissioners can't do that in the context of other business at one of their regular meetings, they should hold a news conference devoted to that topic alone.