Monroeville staff recommend award of Minerva Boulevard traffic‑signal contract and multiple commodity contracts

Monroeville public‑works staff on the council's citizens' night presented recommendations to award the Minerva Boulevard and Ivanhoe Drive traffic‑signal replacement project to Brunder Technical Services after receiving two bids, and reviewed a wide set of commodity bids covering paving, guide rail, sign materials and storm‑sewer parts.

The recommended low bid for the traffic signal was Brunder Technical Services at $297,250.07; Traffic Control & Engineering submitted a bid of $336,921.05, staff said. The project is a reimbursable PennDOT grant, and staff estimated the municipal share at roughly $62,000. Public‑works staff cautioned that lead times for signal poles are long (about 14–16 weeks) and said construction would likely occur in the fall if awarded.

Why it matters: the intersection is a three‑way signal replacement whose overall cost is substantially lower than some four‑way intersections previously completed, and the bulk of funding is expected to be reimbursed by PennDOT, limiting near‑term local budget impact.

"There were two bidders, Brunder Technical Services at $297,250.07 and Traffic Control & Engineering at $336,921.05," said the public‑works official presenting bids. "We'll be spending about $62,000 of municipal money; the rest would be reimbursable through PennDOT." (Speaker: Agency official.)

Staff also reviewed commodity bids used for recurring purchases across the year. Notable recommendations and points raised by staff included:

- Air vac equipment: recommended award to Air Vac at $21,924; Seal Master recommended for a separate item at $2,120; staff noted material costs have increased year‑over‑year.

- Bituminous paving materials: staff reported only one bidder for the item and an approximate 8% price increase tied to oil/asphalt indices; the packet recommended awarding items 1–3 for paving to Tresco Paving Corporation (the memorandum lists item prices for those items in the packet).

- Guide rail: staff recommended awarding items 1–11 to Greenacres Contracting for a total cited as $114,350 and additional items to Chemung; council members questioned whether some work could be piecemealed to achieve lower per‑item pricing, but staff said the furnished‑and‑installed bids are priced by aggregate and that material‑only bids are handled differently.

- Sign material and sheeting: staff reported large price increases (about 48% for aluminum sign blanks and about 58% for sign hardware) and recommended award of sign blanks and sheeting to Osborne and related items to Chemung, with various dollar totals listed in the packet.

- Culverts and reinforced concrete: recommended awards to Culverts Incorporated for a package of items (the memorandum lists a total of $138,880 for items 1–18); staff emphasized the estimate is intentionally conservative to avoid re‑bidding if amounts are reached.

Council members asked procedural questions, including whether the municipality pursues reimbursement from third parties for damaged signs (staff: yes, if there is a police report and insurance information) and why some commodity items had single bidders. Staff explained the differences between furnished/installed and material‑only bids and the reasoning behind aggregate awarding.

No formal purchase orders were approved during the citizens' night work session; these recommendations remain on the work/consent calendar for upcoming council consideration.

What happens next: staff said the traffic‑signal award and commodity‑bid awards are recommended items and will proceed through the council's regular meeting or consent calendar as appropriate for formal action.