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    When budgets are tight, as they are these days, we all look for ways to reduce expenses, maybe delay maintenance or even projects that have been planned for some time. I have had such a dilemma at my house and it's soon time to make that dreaded decision to part with some hard-earned cash.

    The 10-year old vinyl siding on my house started blowing away a few months ago. This winter season didn't help the matter. I've consulted with a siding expert who has now given me a quote of $16,800 to replace all of the siding as well as the soffits and the gutters. Clearly, simply replacing the siding that blew away would be the least expensive way to go, but it's just going to blow away again. Cost to replace the siding: $11,000. Cost to replace the soffits: $3,300; and the gutters: $2,500.

    Now had I had just replaced the soffits and gutters last year, I wouldn't be considering doing it again, would I? Certainly not! I would consider that an investment that I wouldn't have to repeat this year! I wouldn't even be coerced by the salesman who might tell me it would be so much better to have it all look like new.

    It seems like this philosophy would translate to airfield marking projects, but that's not always the case. If some of the markings had been painted last year, and they still looked like new; why would you even consider doing them again? But the tendency for some folks is to paint every spring, whether it needs it or not.

    I just recently attended a pre-bid meeting at a military installation where the airfield manager had decided to waste our taxpayer dollars fixing what wasn't broken. He wanted to repaint the runway markings, so even though the majority of the taxiway and parking lines that were included in the scope of work were painted just 8 months earlier, he wanted them removed and painted again! That's just plain wasteful.

    I wouldn't pay an extra $5,800 to replace soffits and gutters if I had just installed them last year! Why can't we be as frugal about the tax dollars being spent as we are our own hard-earned dollars? My grandfather used to say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But he lived through the depression when every penny meant something.

    Spend your maintenance dollars on what really needs to be fixed; Sightline will help you determine the scope of work. You're going to be the one looking good after putting some money back into the airport's pocket!

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