BUTLER TWP — Butler County Community College plans to move out of its Lawrence County facility on West Washington Street and into a newly renovated space that better suits the operational needs of the students and the college.

The BC3 Council of Trustees voted Wednesday, Oct. 16, to enter into a 10-year lease at Shenango Commons, a converted former shopping center in New Castle, which administrators said is better for the students of Lawrence County.

Brian Opitz, executive director of operations at BC3, told the trustees that the facility is about 12,000 square feet, which is down from the 25,000 square feet at the current Lawrence Crossing site. There are plans to add on to create more classroom space.

The downsized building will still be able to house the enrolled students, Opitz said, even in its current state.

“We spent a lot of time in Lawrence County there, and this site really started to stand up,” Opitz said. “It’s a much more efficient site for the size of our operation right now. Still lots of opportunity for growth, we designed a nice, efficient floor plan for it.”

According to the base rent schedule provided at the meeting, BC3 will pay $160,955 annually for the first five years in the facility, and $182,095 annually from the sixth through 10th year in the building. The rate is nearly $40,000 more for the space once the extra classroom space is added.

Megan Coval, interim president of BC3, said at the meeting that the Shenango Commons site was chosen because it is close to amenities students might enjoy,

“In addition to the higher education that they will receive, it will be located nearby a park and a gym and restaurant, and also Shenango High School,” Coval said.

The trustees also awarded contracts to two companies to construct a learning lab for elementary education on the college’s main campus.

Scott A. McDowell, treasurer of the trustees, presented a resolution to convert two existing classrooms at BC3 into a lab for early education. The Robert L. Paserba Teaching and Learning Lab will be constructed by Masco Construction for a cost of $169,000; and the electricity work will be done by Right Electric at a cost of $98,000, following a vote from the trustees.

“When you are in that area, that lab, you will feel like you’re in a K to 5, K to 6 classroom,” McDowell said.

According to McDowell, the project should be completed by mid-January, so it will be ready for the coming spring semester at BC3.

The trustees approved an agreement with Glade Run Lutheran Services to provide outpatient mental health services to faculty, staff and students for a one-year trial period.

Joshua Novak, BC3’s vice president for student affairs & enrollment management, said Glade Run will operate a licensed clinic on the main campus to provide support for the campus community.

“There is no cost to the college for this, and one other point is anyone who cannot pay with insurance, Glade Run said they will step up and take care of it,” said McDowell, who also presented the motion.

The agreement was effective Wednesday, and will end June 30.