'Old Farts' electricians rewiring 100th flood-damaged home

The Old Farts have reached 100.

A group of retired electricians - some of whom prefer to call themselves O.F. Electric - have either completed or started electrical work on 100 flood-damaged homes in Cedar Rapids and Palo.

On Monday, the teams of men in their 60s, 70s and 80s were hooking up outlets, light switches and light fixtures at homes in Palo and northwest Cedar Rapids.

“By the time we have 100 finished houses, it might be October,” said John Shea, 75, who retired as an electrician 15 years ago.

Most of these skilled volunteers worked together over the years at the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, where they and a handful of retired Rockwell Collins engineers gather each week to divvy up duties and plan their work.

A smaller group of retired plumbers from Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 125 is operating in much the same way.

The workers usually start about 8:30 a.m. and quit midafternoon.

“We get kind of tired, and get ready for our nap,” Shea joked.

The group was started by Wayne Engle, the founder of ESCO Electric, who retired - he thought - in 2006. Electrical contractors, the unions and other groups have donated money and materials, and ESCO coordinates the purchase of supplies at Van Meter Industrial, which gives the retired electricians a deal.

“We're working on houses where people can't afford to hire contractors,” said Bob Clark, a 60-year-old Rockwell retiree. “These people just want their lives back.”

Staff at the Community Recovery Center directs the teams of four or five to homes whose owners haven't received much insurance or government aid. Engle estimates the group has donated the equivalent of around $700,000 in labor and materials.

“I'd like to keep going till we hit a million,” Engle said.