Batavia is drying out, cleanup continues

Batavia business owners and officials are starting to assess the damage from the storms and rain last week as the Fox River recedes.

Clark Island Recreation Area was soggy and muddy on Wednesday, but at least it was above water.

"I don't know if there's been a lot of physical damage," said Jim Eby, director of planning and development for the park district. "But there's the cosmetic damage and the cleanup."

The park was still closed on Wednesday. The ground was covered with mud and silt, and debris was on the ground and in the trees. Fencing around some new plantings to keep geese away was gone.

"It's going to be a mess for a while," Eby said.

The park recently underwent a $1.3 million renovation. Although district officials aren't sure yet how much will have to be replanted, some reinforcing of the island may have helped save it from the floodwaters, park district officials said.

On the other side of the bridge, people were cleaning out items damaged at the shuttered One East Wilson restaurant, which took in 4 feet of water in its basement last week.

Employees at Venice Tavern were shoveling silt off of its patio, which was under water last week.

The inside of the restaurant was able to open Monday, owner Owen Egizio said. Last week the flooding stopped just short of coming into the restaurant.

"It's amazing it stopped where it did, just short of doing some real damage," he said.

He hopes to have the patio opened by this weekend but doesn't know if that will be possible.