BACK in the 1990s, West Virginians had a charming state museum in the basement of the Cultural Center at the Capitol Complex. It outlined prehistoric mound-builders, pioneer travel by flatboats, Civil War tragedies and much more.

But bureaucrats decided to "improve" the museum - and turned it into a nine-year bungle costing taxpayers a fortune.

In 1999, a renowned designer was paid $1 million to restyle the exhibits. Then a $350,000 temporary display and staircase were installed to give visitors a foretaste of the proposed new museum. A $6 million project was planned, with $2 million expected in private donations. But the effort flopped.

Under Gov. Bob Wise, the first plan was scrapped and new planners were paid another $1 million. But state audits faulted wasteful spending, and the second project floundered. Remnants of the old museum were ripped out. New bids in 2004 came in too high to be realistic.

Statehouse correspondent Phil Kabler says new 2008 bids are pushing the total investment to $17.6 million - and West Virginians still have no museum, after all these years.

What a sorry flop. We doubt whether high school children could have bungled the government project worse than state officials did.

But bureaucrats decided to "improve" the museum - and turned it into a nine-year bungle costing taxpayers a fortune.

In 1999, a renowned designer was paid $1 million to restyle the exhibits. Then a $350,000 temporary display and staircase were installed to give visitors a foretaste of the proposed new museum. A $6 million project was planned, with $2 million expected in private donations. But the effort flopped.

Under Gov. Bob Wise, the first plan was scrapped and new planners were paid another $1 million. But state audits faulted wasteful spending, and the second project floundered. Remnants of the old museum were ripped out. New bids in 2004 came in too high to be realistic.

Statehouse correspondent Phil Kabler says new 2008 bids are pushing the total investment to $17.6 million - and West Virginians still have no museum, after all these years.

What a sorry flop. We doubt whether high school children could have bungled the government project worse than state officials did.