Work continues on the Heaton Family Learning Commons, a $5.1 million library project, at Butler County Community College.

BUTLER TWP — The construction of the Heaton Family Learning Commons at Butler County Community College is on schedule.

The $5.1 million project is expected to be open for the fall semester of 2016, said Brian Opitz, executive director of operations at BC3.

Opitz anticipates construction will be done about June 1, allowing the college to furnish the building for its August grand opening, he said.

“We're right on schedule,” Opitz said, stating the project is halfway done. The work began in June.

For the spring semester, the library will continue to function at a diminished capacity as it has since the renovations began, Opitz said. The library was contained to a third of its first floor for the fall semester, but that will move to a renovated area during the first week of January, Opitz said.

“It's certainly an inconvenience; we understand that,” Opitz said, stressing the college has worked to provide alternatives during the renovation. For finals week in December, the college opened other areas to use as quiet study spaces.

The goal of the new Learning Commons is to transform the college's “traditional, stacks of books” into a “library of the future,” Opitz said. The new building will have increased technology including more than 60 computers, more areas for group work and a cafe.

The construction involves four contractors: the Perry Construction Group of Erie, Wm. T. Spaeder of Erie, D & G Mechanical of West Middlesex and Fuellgraf Electric of Butler. The building design was done by Renaissance III Architects of Pittsburgh.

Lyndora entrepreneur Bob Heaton gave the project a $1 million gift, the largest contribution in the college's history.

Because of that, BC3 renamed the library in his family's honor.