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ST. LOUIS - Crime fighting ingenuity in three
St. Louis city neighborhoods is paying off with
safer and more secure homes thanks to the Electrical
Connection. The neighborhoods were winners in
the city's 2005 anti-crime National Night Out
program. For the 10th consecutive year, Electrical
Connection members provided the prize - free installation
of exterior lighting and motion detectors. The
Electrical Connection is a partnership of the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
(IBEW) Local #1 and the St. Louis Chapter, National
Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).
This year's winners were the 4300 block of Strodtman
Place in North St. Louis in the College Hill neighborhood;
the 500 block of Wilmington in the Carondelet
neighborhood; and the 2900 block of Shenandoah
in the Tower Grove East neighborhood.
On March 25 an army of 75 IBEW Local #1 electricians
and union electrical contractors descended on
4300 of Strodtman Place to safely install exterior
lights and motions detectors. Installations in
the other two neighborhoods will take place at
a later date.
"Lights and motion detectors are a proven
deterrent to crime," said Stephen P. Schoemehl,
IBEW Local #1 business manager. "Our membership
is proud to sustain a 10-year-long tradition of
volunteering to reward communities that are making
neighborhoods safer places to live." Since
1995, the Electrical Connection has completed
free installations at more than 850 homes in more
than 30 St. Louis neighborhoods. The total value
of the installations exceeds $450,000.
Union electrical contracting firms that volunteered
services for the installations on Strodtman Place
included Briner Electric, Kaiser Electric, Inc.,
Guarantee Electrical Co., PayneCrest Electric
and Communications, RJP Electric, Sachs Electric
and Schaeffer Electric Co.
"Our rich tradition of building in the St. Louis area extends far beyond safe and quality installations," said Douglas R. Martin, executive vice president of the St. Louis Chapter, NECA. "Our Electrical Connection membership is part of this community. We raise families here and are actively involved in making our region a better place to live. Supporting National Night Out is just one way we show our appreciation for the privilege of serving our residential and commercial customers in St. Louis."
In addition to its work with National Night Out, the Electrical Connection has donated services to Habitat for Humanity and to Rebuilding Together St. Louis, a program designed to improve homes owned by low-income, elderly persons.
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