ST. LOUIS – St. Louis County Library continues to make steady progress on modernizing its branches with the assistance of NECA contractor Briner Electric Co. and its IBEW Local 1 workforce.  On May 30, 2018, St. Louis County Library broke ground on the new $5.6 million Meramec Valley Branch in unincorporated south St. Louis County near Fenton, Mo.  It is the 17^th branch improvement since 2014 that will rely on the electrical skills of Briner and IBEW. Briner is a member of the Electrical Connection a partnership of IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

The 21,000-square-foot Meramec Valley Branch at 1501 San Simeon Way will replace a 2,690-square-foot branch that was the smallest in St. Louis County Library system.  It will be infused with the latest technology for research and feature a Discovery Zone for children, private study rooms, a quiet reading room, a community meeting room, a business center, a community garden, a walking path and outdoor reading deck.

The library was designed by Mackey Mitchell Architects and Bond Architects. Brinkmann Constructors is the construction manager.

Briner and IBEW have performed electrical installations on 16 other branches in the St. Louis County Library system including Grant's View, Weber Road, Jamestown Bluffs, Indian Trails, Rock Road, Samuel Sachs, Cliff Cave, Prairie Commons, Natural Bridge, Oak Bend, Bridgeton Trails, Florissant Valley, Daniel Boone, Grand Glaize, Mid-County and Thornhill branches.  The projects have entailed a wide variety of complexities including electrical, fire alarm, decorative and energy efficient lighting, generators for emergency lighting, and technology improvements for new and renovated branches. 

The projects are part of a multi-year capital improvement campaign called Your Library Renewed to improve a total of 19 branches. In 2012, voters approved a $.06 tax increase to fund new facilities and upgrades to existing structures, as well as enhanced library programs and services. More information on all of the library improvements including images can be found at https://www.slcl.org/content/your-library-renewed.

Founded in 1895, Briner is the second oldest NECA-member contractor in the country.  Visit its web site at www.brinerelec.com.