BUTLER TWP — A committee recommended a Butler County Community College building damaged by a fallen tree be demolished.

BC3 Trustee Bill McCarrier said at a board meeting Wednesday the finance committee recommends razing Armstrong Lodge. Some additional inspections will be done before the final decision is made.

A 60-foot oak tree fell May 8 during a storm and crashed onto the roof. The wooden-framed building, which houses the Children's Creative Learning Center, was empty and no one was injured.

Brian Opitz, director of facilities, said the frame of the building suffered significant damage. Trusses on the north side of the building were splintered and the ones on the south side were damaged. Additionally, walls were bowed outward.

The building isn't in danger of immediate collapse, but it would take major repairs to make it safe again, he said. Also, the repairs couldn't be done in time to open the children's school in the fall.

Instead of doing the repairs, college officials are considering outfitting the former student bookstore to house the children's school beginning in late August.

Opitz said there are special building codes that must be followed when planning to house young children. Because of that, he said, the college must act quickly.

Converting the bookstore could be integrated into the college's long-range facilities plan, said BC3 board chairman Ray Steffler.

Once the bookstore was emptied after it moved to the Student Success Center, the college began working on plans to renovate it into faculty offices. If the renovations can be done in a way that the college doesn't have to make a second round of improvements, he said, it would save the college money.

In the meantime, Steffler said, plans to renovate the campus library could be put on hold.