| From the Faribault Daily News
By Devlyn Brooks
Managing Editor
NERSTRAND -More than a dozen electricians Saturday
morning buzzed around the Habitat for Humanity home
going up in Nerstrand. Some were wiring light switches
and fixtures upstairs. Others were working in the basement,
doing much the same thing. And still others were toting
material and rolling up wire, trying to clean up behind
the others as fast as they were making progress.
If everything went as planned, the crew was to wrap
up the basic wiring of the entire house by noon. They
started at 7 a.m.
"The best thing about these guys is you don¹t
have to tell them what to do. They just go and do it,"said
Bill Sartor, project manager for the Habitat for Humanity.
"Pretty soon they¹re flying, stringing wires
... in half a day they¹re done."
The electricians were members of the International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 110, a union that
stretches a large geographic territory from south of
Faribault all the way north to Cambridge. On Saturday,
guys came from all over to help - Lonsdale, Northfield,
Nerstrand, Dennison, Cannon Falls, Faribault and even
from the Twin Cities.
Bob Delisha, the president of Faribault¹s IBEW
chapter, said that when they can the union members like
to give back to the community. "We want to show
the community that we¹re there to help out,"he
said. "I think sometimes unions get a bad (reputation).
We want to let people know we care about them."
The Nerstrand home is the fourth Habitat for Humanity
home the IBEW has helped wire in recent years. Sartor
said they¹ve done two houses in Northfield, one
in Faribault and now the one in Nerstrand. "It¹s
a big benefit to us," he said.
Sartor said the relationship between Habitat for Humanity
of Rice County and the IBEW began in earnest a few years
ago. And since, when asked, the union has been there
ready to help.
Sartor added that the electricians¹ flexibility
is wonderful. Electricity was just run to the house
on Tuesday and the call went out for volunteers to help
string the house on Saturday. That morning about 15
electricians showed up. "These guys on a short
notice make things happen,"he said.
Slinger Electric of Faribault is the electricity contractor
for the house, Sartor said, and in addition to Slinger,
other local electrical contractors have donated material
and assistance to make the Nerstrand house happen.
Overall, Sartor said the house is on schedule. The home¹s
heating system is installed, most of the plumbing is
in, much of the exterior siding is on, and thanks to
the guys on Saturday, the wiring should be completed,
except for the finishing touches that have to wait.
At this pace, Sartor said Khara Huffstutter, and her
children, Erick and Laura, should be able to move in
during November, just as planned.
Huffstutter was chosen to receive the home by going
through Habitat for Humanity¹s annual applicant
process. During the building process she also has had
to put "sweat equity"into the home, meaning
she had to physically work on building the home with
the Habitat for Humanity volunteers.
Huffstutter had been living with her parents in Faribault
because she could not afford to buy a home on her income.
Habitat for Humanity will sell the new home to Huffstutter
for about $75,000.
Sartor said that when the home is completed, about 110
volunteers will have worked on the house. The lot for
the home in Nerstrand was donated by Opal Wolf.
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Devlyn Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@faribault.com
or 333-3133.
Article reprinted with permission.
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Pictured
Ryan Meehl,110 President Jamie McNamara,Executive Board
Member Joe Kelly, Jeff Harty, Business Manager Mike
Redlund, Jeff Anderson, Robb Lopez, Jamie Craig, Justin
Delesha, and Faribault Chapter Chairman Bob Delesha.
Not Pictured
Ben Stone, Jody Wilde, Ben Holz and Ron Slinger of Slinger
Electric.
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