BUTLER TWP — Butler County Community College is planning major construction projects for its main campus in the township.

On Wednesday, the board of trustees agreed to apply to the state Department of Education for $9 million to cover half the cost of constructing the Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health Building and several improvements to the south end of the campus, and awarded a $245,000 contract to design a new maintenance building.

The estimated cost of the Phillips building and the south campus work is $18 million.

Construction of the Phillips building is planned for the second phase of the project and 2021 is the earliest work could start, said Brian Opitz, executive director of operations.

The first phase includes construction of the maintenance building, demolition of the existing maintenance building, construction of a connector road from Old Plank Road and site preparation and utility extensions for the Phillips and maintenance buildings, Opitz said.

He said the connector road will include a drop-off loop at the Amy Wise Children's Creative Learning Center.

All of the work is part of the college's master plan and it is being bundled for efficiency, Opitz said.

The existing maintenance building predates the college. The building was part of a golf course that was purchased to become the campus, he said.

DPH Architecture of Canfield, Ohio, was awarded the contract to design the new maintenance building.

The Phillips building construction cost is estimated at $10 million. The college plans to pay half the cost using funding from the county and at least $2 million in donations.

Former state Sen. Tim Shaffer donated $1 million in February 2018 and Janice Phillips Larrick of Butler Township gave $1 million in September to the BC3 Education Foundation for the building that will house the Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health.

Shaffer of Prospect represented the 21st District for 16 years and is a retired district judge and attorney.

In other business, the trustees approved an update of the student withdrawal policy.

Students can still receive a full refund of tuition and fees without penalty if they completely or partially withdraw during the first five days of a semester.

Now, they can receive a refund of 60 percent if they completely or partially withdraw from the sixth through the 10th day. Under the old policy, no refunds were given after the 10th day.

Another revision provides a 10 percent refund for students who completely or partially withdraw from the 11th through the 15th day. No refunds are available after the 15th day.

The policy for withdrawing from a class was also revised. Students can withdraw from a class through the first week of a semester without penalty or it being noted on their records. Those who withdraw from a class from the first week through the ninth week of a semester will receive “W” grades on their records. “W” grades do not affect students' grade point averages.

In addition, the trustees approved a motion to suspend reserved parking spaces for employees at all campuses pending clarification of a new Internal Revenue Service rule that makes reserved parking spaces taxable employee benefits.

BC3 will seek the clarification from its auditing firm, Maher Duessel, or the IRS.