Not quite getting the concept

"You get what you pay for," is a fairly well-known saying. But it seems to elude leaders of one upstate New York town.

The Post-Star reports that three firms have bid to replace the Hadlock Pond dam that was breached in Fort Ann last year. The dam failed only weeks after it was built and the town 'leadership' engaged in a studious coverup of their role in the fiasco.

Apparently, all three bids were higher than the town was initially willing to pay.

The paper reported: "I don't understand why they're so high," said state Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury. "The lowest bid was $3.2 million and that seems ridiculous. It only cost $1.8 million to build the dam the last time."

Of course, that $1.8 million got the town a structure that didn't even last a month before its collapse caused millions of dollars of damage. So the town might be advised to spend a little more money and build a dam that will actually last.