Powering the park: Retired union electricians volunteer to light up Gordon Moore

ALTON - The new concession buildings at Gordon Moore Park will be built of brick, wires, pipes and community pride.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local #649 has a hand in its construction. In fact, every time a light switch will be flipped inside those walls, whoever did it can thank a group of less than 10 retired electricians who have donated hours of their time to bringing power to the small building. Retired electrician Bill Gottlob said he and a few others have spent more than 100 hours volunteering to bring wiring, conduits and connectors to the structure. The electricians are working with volunteers from other unions as well, including painters and plumbers.

“It needed done,” Mark Cowan said Friday morning as the group was working on their project. “And we can do it. It's really that simple.”

Retired IBEW Local #649 Business Manager Jack Tueth volunteered his brotherhood to do the work at the concession stand, which has seen around 500 hours of combined labor from the efforts.

Materials for the project are provided by Wegman Electrical through the City of Alton's resources. A lot of the current revamping of Gordon Moore Park is being done by volunteer laborers – especially those once or currently associated with organized labor.

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