Butler County got some short-lived good news last week by way of the announcement that the long-delayed prison project would be completed on April 14. Initially, that ended fears about whether completion might extend well beyond a year.

However, the completion date again has been thrust into limbo because of two Pittsburgh contractors' refusal to return to the South Washington Street project without getting significantly more money.

Both prison developments came just over a month after the Butler Health System held its groundbreaking celebration for the proposed 150,000-square-foot surgical tower and renovation project at Butler Memorial Hospital's East Brady Street campus.

The cost of the hospital project is targeted at $167 million, while the new prison is expected to cost $40 million — although the legal morass surrounding the prison construction could push the total cost somewhat beyond the current estimate. County taxpayers will be served notice of the prison's ultimate drain on county finances when they receive future property tax bills.

But with the hospital project having gotten under way and with the new developments surrounding the prison project after a six-month general construction stoppage resulting from the former general contractor walking off the job, it's appropriate for county residents to reflect on the direction in which this county is going — and to feel a sense of alarm.

Consider:

The hospital project, when completed, will have available for sick and injured patients a total of 331 beds. Under the construction-renovation project, a total of 67 critical-care and general medical-surgical beds will be added to the hospital's current total bed count of 264. In most cases, those served in the future, as is now the case, will be law-abiding people who have encountered the unfortunate circumstances of deteriorating health or medical emergencies, or who have become victims of accidents.

Meanwhile, the prison project, "serving" people who have broken the law and become liabilities in terms of what this county strives to be and represent, will have 512 beds — 181 more than the hospital. While most of those people have the potential to once again become productive members of society, for now they represent an unwanted drain on county resources, not to mention the harm they have inflicted on their victims.

Butler County isn't unique in the situation that has evolved regarding criminality, but the situation is very troubling nonetheless.

What's even more troubling is that there are no signs that the situation will reverse itself significantly anytime soon — especially with the illegal-drug problem that has migrated north from Allegheny County, a problem that continues to threaten young and old alike here.

Rich Gigliotti, Butler County Prison warden, provided to the Butler Eagle recently a glimpse of the county prison population. He reported that of the 295 inmates on hand at that time (including about 90 overflow prisoners being housed in prisons in other counties), 54 were in prison on drug-related charges; 32, for assault charges (five of those were for homicide or conspiracy to commit homicide); 84, for burglary, theft or receiving stolen property; 22, for sex-related crimes; 41, for drunken-driving-related charges; 19, for bad-check, forgery or fraud-related charges; and 43, under the category of contempt, terroristic threats, arson or escape.

Eagle readers who glance at the police reports on a daily basis can't help being troubled by the number of incidents that are in the reports.

While some of those reports involve traffic accidents and minor incidents, many are more serious and clearly indicate the scope of innocent people, businesses and other enterprises that are being harmed by the criminal element.

That isn't comforting for a county that long has prided itself on being a desirable place to live.

The hospital and prison projects provide a contrast that people here must not ignore. It's a contrast that tests the abilities and goals of the vast majority of county residents — and the agencies charged with addressing the needs that exist within the county.

On the one hand, the hospital is focused on what's good and desirable while the prison is charged with dealing with issues that the county would prefer not to have.

At the hospital groundbreaking, Dr. Kelly Agnew, president of the medical executive committee, said, "This project is happening because of changes in our population, changes in care and changes in technology, and I congratulate the (hospital) board (of trustees) and community for their vision, planning and execution of this project."

This community would feel much more comfortable if the new prison required only 331 beds — and with that number there was projected to be a high vacancy rate.