CRANBERRYTWP— Butler County Community College awarded more than $6 million in contracts Wednesday to build a student service center.

Construction is expected to begin in mid-April on the Student Success Center, which will be near the center of the main campus in Butler Township.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be April 10.

The cost of the project is slightly lower than projected, and will include offices such as financial aid, student life, bookstore, counseling, tutoring, student government, admissions, registration, and disabled student services. The two-story, 34,000-square-foot building also will house the campus police and the campus welcome center.

With this project, departments from five buildings will be moved into one.The college is studying how to use the space that will be left empty by this move.

The general contract was awarded to R. A. Glancy Sons of Gibsonia for $4.1 million. Thirteen general contractors submitted bids, college officials said.

"I think we benefited from a more competitive environment," said Jim Hrabosky, interim vice president for finance and administration.

The highest general bid was about $900,000 more than R.A. Glancy Sons.

BC3 President Nick Nuepauer said cooperation between the college and its architect, Burt Hill, led to a successful bidding process.

Other contracts awarded by the board of trustees included:

• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning: Guy's Mechanical Systems in Rochester for $840,025.

• Plumbing: East End Plumbing & Mechanical in Pittsburgh for $172,800.

• Fire protection:J&J Fire Protection Co. in Butler for $87,500.

• Electrical: Right Electric in Butler for $1.07 million

The total of the contracts is $6.2 million.

The BC3 board meeting was at the BC3 Cranberry Center.