Crafton Borough Council voted May 22 to award four construction contracts for phase 3 of the Department of Public Works building, with a combined value of $1,078,820.85, and to defer an electrical security system add‑alternate while staff evaluates a borough‑wide approach.

Why it matters: the contracts fund a new or renovated DPW facility and include general construction, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. Council and staff said the electrical ad alternate for access control and security may be valuable but could create a patchwork of systems unless the borough adopts a single, flexible platform that serves multiple facilities.

Contracts awarded: Gateway Engineers recommended the following awards, and council approved them individually: MA Dunn Construction — general construction, $478,820.85 (includes a $83,877 ad alternate for installation); Allegheny City Electric, electrical, $261,000 (council approved without the $25,000 ad alternate for security and access control); First American Industries, plumbing, $198,000; and Air Systems Mechanical Contracting, mechanical, $116,000. The four contracts combined were reported as $1,078,820.85, which the engineer said is $235,000 less than budgeted when factoring work Public Works will complete in‑house.

Security system decision: staff told council they had solicited proposals but lacked a coordinated, borough‑wide plan for cameras and access control. The borough has approximately 60–100K estimated cost to standardize a system across municipal buildings; council opted to accept the electrical contract and leave the security ad alternate off while staff gathers more information and vendor details before a future decision.

Votes and procedure: council approved each contract in separate motions at the meeting; each motion passed with the standard voice vote (“Aye/Pass”) called during the meeting record. The motion to award the electrical contract explicitly excluded the security ad alternate and passed.

Ending: staff will continue vendor outreach on the security platform and report back to council before deciding whether to accept the ad alternate or procure a unified system for borough properties.