ALPENA –The Alpena Municipal Council voted 4-0 to hire American Widget Co. for $31,190 to make security enhancements to City Hall.

The new technology should be installed by the end of summer.

According to Building Official Mike Kieliszewski, upgrades will be made and various new features added, but few details as to what the new system would feature were discussed, for security reasons.

Kieliszewski said that, after the new security features are installed and operating, a new fire alarm system may be added afterward.

Kieliszewski said he spent about a year researching he best route to bolster security in a fiscally responsible manner.

He said he talked to several security companies and finally toured Alpena County facilities that American Widget had installed.

“I looked it over and, to be honest, I was pretty impressed,” Kieliszewski said.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpeanews.com.

In other business

The Alpena Municipal Council on Monday also:

∫ heard from Alpena County Public Library Executive Director Eric Magness-Eubanks about the library’s millage request, which will be on the ballot during the August election; the library is seeking a 20-year renewal for 0.25 mills

∫ heard that the dedication of the Thomas Stafford Dog Park will be 5:15 p.m. Friday at the park; new dog sculptures will be unveiled at that time, also

∫ went into closed session to discuss union contracts for the firefighter/EMS employees; the new agreement, good through June 30, 2022, includes a 2% pay increase each year, a decrease in the amount of longevity that counts toward the final average compensation at retirement, an increase in contributions toward retirement benefits for both employee and employer, a new wellness incentive program, and more

∫ heard from City Attorney Bill Pfiefer, who gave the second reading of a new fireworks ordinance; the council is expected to vote on the ordinance after a public hearing at its next meeting.