WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: The Photos That Appear With This Labor News Story are Courtesy of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 106, the Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric Corporation and the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County.

(JAMESTOWN) – Thanks to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 106 and the Union-Represented Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric Corporation, the Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys & Girls Club of Jamestown Recently Received 267 New Energy-Saving Lights, Which Were Installed by 25 Highly-Skilled- and -Trained Union Electricians - At No Cost Just Before the Holiday Season.

Earlier This Month, the Local 106 Members Installed the Lights That Were Supplied by Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric During a Day-Long Effort that Involved Retrofitting Fixtures in the Jamestown Facility with New, Energy-Efficient Lighting. 

At a Cost that was Estimated to Be More Than $21,000, the Project Was Initially Believed to Be Too Expensive for the Boys & Girls Club to Undertake.  However, When Representatives of IBEW Local 106, Ahlstrom Schaeffer and the Club’s Board Members Got Together to Discuss the Project, a Decision was Made to Find a Way to Donate the Man Hours and Product to Get the Job Done and Get It Done Without It Costing the Jamestown Boys & Girls Club a Single Penny.

''Without IBEW Local 106 and Ahlstrom-Schaeffer Working ‘With Us’ On This, It Wouldn't Have Been Done At This Scale or In This Time Frame,'' Jamestown Boys & Girls Club Board President Rex McCray said.

Local 106 Business Manager David Wilkinson, Who Also Serves as President of the Jamestown AFL-CIO Labor Council, said: ''(Our Union’s) Done Projects for the Community In The Past, But This Is the Biggest.  Our Members ‘Care’ About the Community and This Was a Great Way to ‘Give Back’ to an Organization that has Touched Many of Us Personally.''

With the Manpower in Place, the Project Still Needed Supplies and Equipment.

That’s When Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric, a Southern Tier Union Electrical Contractor Whose Workforce is Represented by IBEW Local 106, Came to the Rescue.

''We Made Sure the Club was Staged for the Electricians with the Kits for Each Fixture and Everything We Thought They Would Need,” Ahlstrom-Schaeffer Vice President Dave Painter said.  “The Project Will Save Approximately Three Thousand Dollars Per Year in Energy Savings From the New Lighting and Also Provide Better Lighting Throughout the Club."

The Project was Part of the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County’s 12 Months of Caring Effort - an Initiative that Links a Variety of Local Businesses and Volunteers With Community Based Projects.

Now That the Work Has Been Completed, the Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys & Girls Club of Jamestown Will Apply For the Rebate Through the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities (JBPU), Which Will Cover the Majority of the Costs Associated With the Fixtures and Be Applied As a Credit to Their Monthly Bills.

“The Money We Save On Our Electric Bill Can Be Redirected to Programming That Impacts the Lives of Two-Thousand Young People Each Year,” Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys & Girls Club of Jamestown Executive Director Jeff Kroon said.

The December Lighting Project Kicked Off What Will Be a Year-Long Celebration in 2014 for the Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys & Girls Club of Jamestown, Which Will Be Celebrating its 75th Anniversary.

“That’s Just One Of the Things We Do With the Help of the Community Each Year,” Boys & Girls Club of Jamestown Executive Director Kroon said.  “This Lighting Project Is One More Fantastic Way to Brighten the Lives of the Kids in Our Programs and We Really Appreciate Everyone For Making It Possible.”