Steel infrastructure is placed Monday for the new Butler County office building. While work had slowed before a crane could be moved into position, the project remains on schedule.

Construction of the new Butler County office building along South Washington Street has picked up its pace with the framework for the bottom levels in place as of Monday.

County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, who is the board liaison at construction meetings, said work crews have made up lost time since they began erecting steel girders Thursday.

“Everything is moving along well,” Pinkerton said.

The project lost time earlier this month when a crane could not work on the South Washington Street side of the building because of its proximity to electrical lines.

However, the delay was not long enough to affect the August 2015 completion of the four-level building, which will house county human services departments, because a time buffer was built into the construction schedule.

Once the crane was relocated to the Vogely Street side, workers began to erect steel.

“They've caught it up,” Pinkerton said.

He said the building will be about twice as high as the current framework is now.

After all the steel is installed and other initial construction is done, concrete will be poured.

“They'll start at the top and work their way down,” Pinkerton said.

The other two commissioners also are satisfied with the work rate.

“I'm very pleased with the way it's progressing,” said Commissioner Bill McCarrier.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein agreed.

“It's neat to watch them at work,” Eckstein said, referring to the workers being undeterred by height. “The way they do it — it's very impressive.”

The building construction is the main part of a nearly $12 million project that includes the replacement of the county government center and courthouse roofs.

The May sale of the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is paying the project cost.