McEuen, by the numbers

It was the million-dollar question.

As expected, some people aren't betting a plugged nickel on the answer.

Question: The McEuen vision, a four-season downtown park and central gathering place; how much will it cost?

Answer: About $23 million.

Or $39 million.

Or something in between.

Why the huge variance? Because the project has so many parts that may or may not end up being included in the final proposal. Rather than give the public one big fat figure, the committee of volunteers working on the project assigned estimates to each component of the plan. Those numbers are posted on mceuenpark.com for the public to review and begin to prioritize what parts of the park plan are most important to them.

Park opponents were quick to claim the estimates are low. The committee might have donned a little armor there by hiring an outside consultant to pencil out the costs. As qualified as the committee members are in this area - many are top-flight professionals in planning and development - they must have known that their credibility would be questioned. We're not fond of lining the pockets of consultants with taxpayer dollars, but after more than $100,000 has already been invested, wouldn't a few thousand more have helped make the estimates more believable? Then again, some critics are ready to refute anything attached to the proposal, so even an outsider's estimate would have been savaged.

We think it's important to remember that the slow pace of information gathering and dissemination is all part of a process which has no urgent deadline. The public has had ample opportunity to consider the parts of the park plan. Now some numbers - granted, very rough numbers - are being added to the table. But there's a lot more work yet to be done before proponents should hang a "SOLD" sign on this baby.

For one, the committee and city officials will need to clearly define where the money would come from. It's our hope that private donors are part of the equation, although it's no secret that the city's urban renewal agency will be counted on to do some of the heaviest lifting.

For another, a priority list will need to be established and shared.

And for yet another, there are still those pesky loose ends - the need for another boat ramp and ball fields to replace their displaced friends - that must be tied up.

All in due time. For now, we have a substantial price tag to chew on.