Sitting in the ArtsRevive’s Carneal Building Friday, you could almost sense the air being sucked right out of the room when developers said work on the Water Avenue redevelopment project “might” be done in time for the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in early March.

The word “might” and the phrase “if everything falls perfectly” were words and phrases that left far too much uncertainty for those civic and community leaders attending Friday’s unveiling of the redevelopment plans to feel comfortable.

Among those were Selma Mayor George Evans, who said the city will have to sit down with planners and state officials to see if delaying the project until after the next Bridge Crossing Jubilee is a possibility.

When the news of funding from the Alabama Department of Transportation was made available to complete the Water Avenue redevelopment project, we celebrated the announcement.

After months of hearing nothing, Friday’s unveiling, while professional and informative, left a lot of unanswered questions. The answers that were given were not exactly what many were looking for.

In addition to the construction start time of sometime in November, and the construction timeline of three to four months, the omission of some key components wanted by Water Avenue property owners was also troubling.

Planners announced money was not available to bury the utility lines, as had been done on the other side of Water Avenue. This was a key component to the original plan, as power and other utility lines along Water Avenue are unsightly and in some cases, might violate code.

Also, the news that resurfacing of Water Avenue was not included caught some off guard, as the other side of Water Avenue had been resurfaced when that project was completed in the fall of 2010.

Mayor Evans is right in his plans to consider asking for a delay in the project.

There is far too much at risk to have the construction project begin and not be finished before the eyes of the world turn their attention to Selma’s downtown in early March.

Also, the delay would give city and state leaders the time to find additional funding to have the utilities and the street repaved all at the same time.

We have seen in the Riverfront Amphitheater project what happens when a project is not completed all at once and is instead completed piece by piece. The Riverfront Amphitheater has gone well over budget on time and in money.

The portion of Water Avenue that was completed in 2010 is beautiful and has gone to help attract a number of events to downtown Selma. It would be a shame if the other portion of Water Avenue was not given the same opportunity for redevelopment and growth.