Butler County Community College is moving forward with plans to make some big changes to a portion of their Butler Township campus.
The BC3 South Campus Project will include a new nursing facility along with a loop road to connect the rear entrance off of Old Plank Road to the main campus drive and storm water accommodations.
A new building to house maintenance as well as shipping and receiving is also planned as part of this project. The new nursing facility is planned location of the current shipping and receiving building.
Brian Opitz is BC3’s Executive Director of Operations said the growth of the nursing program is a major factor in the new construction.
“We’re going to expand the BC3 Nursing program and into a partnership with Grove City College and Concordia, as well as a partnership with Butler Health System,” Opitz said. “That’s really what is driving this.”
The connecting road is being dubbed as Pioneer Path and will run directly through campus and eventually connect the new nursing facility in the south with the Field house in the north. The construction of the connector road has been a recent priority for several reasons including emergency access.
“South Butler Fire Department is our first responder, so they come up Old Plank Road and turn into our rear entrance, so this will give them access two ways in-and-around campus,” Opitz said.
“It will also help with traffic flow,” Opitz said. “Right now it’s one way in, and one way out, so this will complete that loop and allow people to go in-and-out in both directions.”
The timeline for this project will include a vote by Butler Township Commissioners later this month before going out to public bid at the end of January. Bids should be received by February and taken to the BC3 Board meeting in March for approval.