Ongoing growth in Center Township is destined to produce needs that municipal leaders up to now have not had to address. For example, it's inevitable that during the next few years officials will be faced with the issue of forming a township police department.

Until that and other costly requirements - perhaps a more modern, spacious, full-service municipal building - must be tackled, the township supervisors must strive to resolve other, more immediate, issues having costs for which the township currently has money on hand.

Commendably, that's apparently what is happening with the upcoming project that will realign the intersection of Route 308, Henricks Road and Sunset Drive - which has the dubious distinction of being regarded as the township's most dangerous.

IA Construction of Zelienople has been awarded a $511,099 contract to do the realignment, which it is anticipated will take two to three months to complete. The final touches on the project might or might not be finished this year, the supervisors said.

According to the supervisors, the project entails relocation of Henricks Road slightly to the north so it will align squarely with Sunset. In addition, left-turn lanes will be added to Route 308, both northbound and southbound, and traffic signals will be installed.

Completion of the project, whenever it occurs, will end five years of study and - sometimes - frustration over how best to address the intersection's dangerous layout. Currently, a hazardous, standoff situation occurs when a northbound vehicle attempts to turn left onto Sunset Drive at the same time as another vehicle tries to turn left onto Henricks Road. The situation becomes ripe for accidents, especially when vehicles are attempting to leave Sunset and Henricks at the same time, while other northbound and southbound motorists are trying to figure out how to react to the mess.

The intersection's accident rate over the years has been one about which neither the township nor state Department of Transportation could feel comfortable. But the persistence of the township, coupled with cooperation by PennDOT, is finally about to pay off.

The project is tiny in scope when compared with the Main Street Viaduct project currently under way in Butler. But the project's importance cannot be argued because the intersection's volume of traffic already is high and will continue to grow amid development within the township.

This is a good time for the project to be accomplished, when there are no other pressing, extraordinary capital-expenditure needs. Completion of the project will free up the township's officials and resources for other important needed work or facilities.

Growth in Center Township shows no signs of slowing. Thus, officials must strive to keep up with needs.

By not giving up on the intersection, despite numerous delays that had stymied both current and former officials, the current Center board of supervisors has demonstrated determination toward such a positive, ongoing commitment toward a better, more hospitable community.