Even with the advanced warning that costs were going up, new estimates released Wednesday for the renovation of the Kansas Capitol were a bit stunning.

Just last September, the project’s price tag had stood at $172.5 million. On Wednesday, state leaders were told that by the time the renovation is completed, the bill will be about $285 million.

The natural question to ask at this point would be: Is this really the total total? The estimated completion date is 2011, and the way the cost of this project has mushroomed in the last several years, it’s hard to believe any cost estimate that is released. Every step of the way, state officials seemed to find additional necessary work or “unexpected” increases in the costs of construction labor and materials. Can Kansans have any faith that even $285 million will finally complete this job?

It’s a little troubling to see legislative leaders so willing to write essentially a blank check for this project. Regardless of how much the recommended work will cost, they are willing to sign off on it. They justify the project by saying they are making up for many years of neglect to the building and have a responsibility to preserve the Capitol building for future generations of Kansans.

What about the responsibility they have to the current generation of Kansas taxpayers?

Lawmakers apparently decided early on that it would be too expensive to do a comprehensive survey of what needed to be done to the Capitol before approving the project. Perhaps blissfully unaware of some of the structural problems in the building, they decided to add on a $31 million underground parking garage, which also houses a visitors center and additional office space. It’s a nice addition, but with all the structural work that turned out to be essential, many taxpayers would think the garage project could have been eliminated or at least delayed.

There also seems to be no desire on the part of state officials to “sharpen their pencils” to try to save money on the project. State Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, reportedly requested an audit of the contracts for the project but was denied. Why? What is the harm in at least looking at ways to rein in this project?

Steineger, who apparently is among a small minority of critics of the project, was quoted in an area newspaper as saying, “They just won’t admit that this has gone awry : The average farmer, working family or middle-class business owner simply couldn’t afford to manage their money the way legislative leaders do.”

No kidding.

No one wants the state Capitol to fall in, but we can’t help but wonder if more diligent oversight of this project might have allowed the essential structural work to be completed at significantly less cost. It’s not hard to imagine how peeved state legislators would be if they were asked to approve such escalating budgets for work on state buildings on university campuses or elsewhere. Those making the request probably would be told to do the best they could with the amount that already had been approved.

That’s called keeping within a budget. It’s what farmers and families do all of the time, but it’s something that legislators apparently have lost sight of when it comes to the Capitol renovation project.