The Butler County commissioners Wednesday awarded a $3.5 million contract to an Allison Park contractor for installing a new exterior to the government center.

Uhl Construction Co., which submitted the second lowest of three bids opened last week, will attach new insulated aluminum siding to the Diamond Street building.

The county dropped two project alternates that would have increased the total amount to $3.8 million.

The items cut were the installation of a peak on the south tower stair roof and removing old windows.

County Commissioner Leslie Osche said in an interview the county staff would handle the latter job.

“The contractor will not have to come into the building at all,” Osche said.

County Commissioner Kim Geyer said with the contractor only working outside simplifies matters.

“That really helps with security,” Geyer said.

Osche pointed out interior work by the contractor also would have tied up county maintenance staff needed to stay with any Uhl workers.

Perry Construction Group of Erie submitted the low total bid of roughly $3 million, but withdrew that bid due to a numerical error on the alternate dealing with interior windows.

For that task, Perry apparently underbid the work by listing $38,000, as opposed to Uhl's $226,450.

“They made a mistake, so they withdrew the bid,” Osche said.

John Campbell, director of county facilities and operations, said in an interview that work is expected to begin within a month.

Along with the new siding, Uhl will repair the sidewalk outside the wall down Diamond Street and along South Washington Street as well as install new doors along those streets.

The project is funded through the 2016 borrowing of $5.8 million.

The beige panels on the building, which opened in 1991, are deteriorating.

According to Campbell, the new aluminum siding would be less likely to come loose, but strong enough to bear weather conditions.