BOSTON -- Believe it or not, it’s been almost a year since the grand opening of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in downtown Boston.

The Greenway is the big payoff of the nearly $15 billion in financing and 20 years of work on the Big Dig.

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So why, you might wonder, is a study being conducted at this late date to determine what should be built along the edges of this public resource? Were two decades not enough lead time? Another case of a "dream deferred?"

Mayor Thomas Menino has directed the Boston Redevelopment Authority to complete that study, which won’t be made public till sometime next fall and probably after the mayoral election. Designers and potential developers are standing by.

Meanwhile, a centerpiece fountain is out-of-order and wide-open spaces remain undefined as its caretaker, the Greenway Conservancy, struggles to cobble together maintenance funding. A clear and comprehensive zoning plan for the Greenway is the priority, but should be expedited and made public as soon as possible.

An increased sense of urgency serves the greater community. The last thing the Greenway needs is more delay.