SLIPPERY ROCK — Borough council awarded a contract for a signal upgrade at an intersection on Main Street.

The contract was approved Tuesday for the signal upgrades at the intersection of Main Street and Kiester Road by a 7-1 vote with Councilman Gene Allison as the lone “no” vote.

The winning bid of $165,167.77 came from Bronder Technical Services of Prospect. The bid was one of four, with the highest coming in at $220,219.88.

The winning bid comes within the $167,260 received from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Automated Red Light Enforcement Transportation Enhancements Grant Program.

Council President Russell Karl said the grant does not require matching funds from the borough.

Karl said Bronder Technical Services will replace the pole at the intersection and raise the traffic light to PennDOT's standard height of 17 feet.

He said the current traffic signal height is estimated around 15 feet.

“We had an issue with that light a couple of years ago, where it kept getting hit,” Karl said. “There's been a need.”

One resident asked if the visibility would improve.

“They tell me that the way it'll be positioned, it'll be better seen in all directions,” Karl said in response. “This should clear up that issue as well as raise it to the proper height.”

Allison said he voted against the motion, not the bid.

“I wasn't opposed to the dollar amount at all,” he said.

Allison said he voted against it because he received information about the bid just before sitting down at the meeting. He said he did not believe he had enough time to prepare his decision.

“I don't like getting information right before the meeting,” Allison said.

Also at the meeting, the council acknowledged it approved reappointing Councilman Jeff Campbell to the two-year council seat at its Jan. 7 meeting, which also served as its reorganization meeting.

Karl was reappointed president of the council with Ron Steele replacing Allison as vice president.

Committee appointments have yet to be made.