The Butler County commissioners Wednesday approved seeking bids to repair the government center on Diamond Street.

The work entails the replacement of the beige panels covering the exterior of the building, which was completed in 1991. The rebar inside the deteriorating panels is rusting.

County Commissioner Leslie Osche, board chairman, said in an interview work is scheduled to start later this year.

“The goal is to try and get started in the summer months,” she said.

More than 200 of the building’s windows also would be replaced.

John Campbell, director of county facilities and maintenance, said in an interview the metal trim on the windows also is rusting.

Campbell said the new panels will cover the government center, so the fake brick sections made of fiberglass with an aggregate backing, would no longer be visible.

The cost is estimated to run between $2.9 million and $4.5 million, or roughly an average of $3.5 million.

The expense is being funded through the 2016 borrowing of $5.8 million, which also pays for $237,500 in repairs to the courthouse, which sustained water damage due to runoff issues.

The county is finalizing a bid award date in May. Campbell said the bids would be due April 28.

Campbell said the commissioners needed to vote this week instead of next Wednesday to meet an April 18 legal advertising deadline.