More delays

Not good enough for government work.

Every major project has its snags, but the construction of the Rush Hudson Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Cape Girardeau has had too many.

Construction on the courthouse started in 2002. The opening date has been put off repeatedly as contractors and the General Services Administration have dealt with a change in contractors, design changes, rising steel prices, bedrock problems and now a near-final inspection that has revealed even more "deficiencies," including the fact that the roof of the yet-to-be occupied building must be replaced. The latest guess as to when the building will open is next spring. And the original cost estimate of $50 million has ballooned by nearly 25 percent to $62 million -- and counting.

The fact that so many problems have been identified so close to the completion of the project raises some serious questions. Was anybody watching out for taxpayers' money during the last five years? Did contractors think they could get away with shoddy work?

The GSA's regional administrator calls the project a "black eye." U.S. Rep Jo Anne Emerson said the GSA needs to answer some "tough questions," adding: "These issues should not have taken anyone by surprise who was involved in the day-to-day operations of this important project."

Let's hope these problems can be cleaned up as quickly as possible and at as little additional cost to taxpayers as possible.