West Whiteland awards $307,345 traffic-signal contract, approves police chief recruitment contract

West Whiteland Township supervisors on March 11 approved two contracts expected to affect traffic operations and police department leadership transition. Justin Smiley, Capital & Special Projects Manager, said two bids were received for improvements at the Ship Road and Lincoln Highway intersection and that Lenni Electric Corporation was the lowest responsible bidder. The board voted to award the Traffic Signals Improvement Project contract to Lenni Electric for $307,345.26 and authorized the Township Manager to execute the contract documents; Smiley said temporary signals will be put in place during mast arm installation.

Township Manager Pam Gural-Bear recommended the township retain Safe City Solutions to lead the search for a new police chief following Chief Benson’s announced retirement. The board approved a contract not to exceed $21,000 for recruitment services; the approved amount excludes the cost of background checks. The motion to approve the recruitment contract was seconded and passed unanimously.

Both items were approved by unanimous vote with motions made and seconded by board members. The board did not discuss additional funding sources or timelines for the search and asked staff to proceed with contract execution and public notification as appropriate.

Next steps: the Township Manager will execute the contracts; Smiley will share scheduling information for signal construction and public expectations for temporary signals; staff will proceed with the police chief recruitment process under the approved contract.