Earth is moved downtown Thursday as work has begun for the new Marriott Springhill Suites hotel. Foundation work for the hotel and a new parking garage is expected to start by winter.

Ground work on the new downtown hotel project has started.

Thomas Construction of Grove City on Wednesday moved equipment onto the site at the corner of East Jefferson and South McKean streets and started to break up a patch of pavement.

Thomas is the general contractor for the city’s neighboring parking garage project, but also is handling the excavation work for the 76-room Marriott Springhill Suites hotel.

“It’s exciting,” said Mayor Tom Donaldson. “We’re trying to make downtown Butler better.”

Developer J.S. Capitol and the city redevelopment authority will own the $8.2 million hotel through a public-private partnership. The city will own the about $5 million garage.

The previous parking lots at the site have closed and the parking meters were removed. The section of Birch Street between Cedar and McKean also closed for good as it will become part of the Centre City property.

City officials said the building permit for the garage has been issued, while the hotel’s permit is in the final stages of approval.

Foundation work on both structures is expected to begin by winter.

The Centre City project includes the hotel, parking garage and the Rite Aid pharmacy that is already completed at the corner of Main and Cunningham streets.

The project is part of a tax increment financing district created in the city.

Under the terms of that agreement, 80 percent of the property taxes paid by the businesses of the district are going to street work on the block.

The total length of the agreement is 20 years.