Work has begun on construction of a new Butler County office building.

Through sporadic sprinkling of rain, a crew on Monday bulldozed dirt on the site of the former county prison at the corner of Jackson and Vogely streets.

On Tuesday, small boulders were left at the scene.

The main part of the nearly $12 million project is erecting a four-level office building adjacent to the government center.

County Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said Tuesday there were no problems getting work started.

“So far, we haven't had any,” McCarrier said.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton was attending a conference Tuesday.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein, who favored buying an existing building over construction to cut costs, wasn't happy to watch work begin.

“I was sad because I felt, financially, we had not moved in the right direction,” Eckstein said.

However, he said now that the battle to prevent construction was lost, the goal is to ensure the project avoids roadblocks.

“We have to make it work,” Eckstein said.

He expressed concern about the possibility of delays and cost overruns.

“We have to stay on top of this project,” Eckstein said.

Work is set to conclude in August 2015.

The county at the end of April awarded five contracts totaling $9.8 million. General contractor Vendrick Construction of Brookfield, Ohio, is being paid $6.1 million.

Included in the contract prices are repairing the government center and courthouse roofs as well as replacing three air conditioning units on top of the government center.

Rounding out the total price are costs such as construction permit fees and a contingency buffer.

Of the original $12.1 million budget, $237,367 was allotted for proposed financing costs to borrow money.

But those financing costs are being saved because the project is being funded by last month's sale of the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Butler Township.

Investment 360 of Lakewood, N.J., bought the nursing home for $20.4 million. The county is expected to get less than that amount because $2.4 million of the total is in the form of accounts receivable — uncollected bills for resident care.

Construction of the new building, which will house human services offices and a garage, has resulted in county officials having to walk a little farther.

The parking lot along South Washington Street for elected officials was closed Monday.

Some of them are parking in the county lot behind the Embarq building while others are using the spaces rented from the Butler County Historical Society.

McCarrier and Pinkerton are paying for the spots they're using in the society's lot across West Diamond Street from the government center.