Work continues on new footbridge in Fabyan Forest Preserve

There's little doubt Fabyan Forest Preserve is a popular spot for residents and visitors. The Kane County Forest Preserve District has made it clear in past public reports that Fabyan is "without question our most heavily used preserve."

It has to be true. Every time we visit this 198-acre preserve, the trails are busy with bikers and walkers, the picnic shelter is active, and the Japanese Garden and Fabyan Museum have many visitors.

It's a mecca for photographers and fishermen, a haven for kids in the winter for sledding by the iconic windmill, and provides a scenic visit with nature for anyone willing to take the time to enjoy it.

One feature that stood out was the concrete footbridge over the small lagoon that cuts across to the main Fox River bridge. The concrete bridge allowed you to get a closer look at the wildlife and creatures calling the lagoon their home.

It was quite noticeable when the concrete showed signs of wear, and the Kane County Forest Preserve hired Illinois Construction Corp. in Elburn to take it out for safety reasons five years ago.

The forest preserve has been planning to replace it ever since as part of a two-phase project that includes removing the existing causeway and stabilizing the shoreline.

Those walking or biking the trail now surely have noticed the trail is blocked off for a short portion while workers install the concrete footings and foundations for what will be a new 200-foot concrete bridge over that lagoon.

It's pretty interesting to look at the footings, but it makes you wonder how they then piece together the rest of the bridge.

"This excavation and concrete work should be done in a couple of weeks," Ken Anderson Jr., chief of planning and operations for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, said last week. "The bridge is being fabricated off-site and should be ready for installation by mid-September."

The district is funding the bridge project, estimated at a cost of just more than $631,000.

The causeway removal and shoreline stabilization project is funded through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and will cost just more than $592,000.

The work on the causeway and shoreline will begin later this summer and should be completed by the end of November, Anderson said.

Another eatery closes:

Five years ago, it seemed Aliano's restaurant in Batavia was on a terrific roll. So much so, that popular Dancing with the Stars professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy visited the restaurant in the summer of 2014 to promote a new line of men's jewelry and visit with fans of the reality TV show.

This was heady stuff for the restaurant and owners Phil and Mario Aliano as hundreds of fans, predominantly women wanting to meet "Maks," lined up outside the restaurant to see the show's reigning champion at the time.

Fast forward to now, and Aliano's is closed. It's another restaurant that had what seemed like a good run, but suddenly closed its doors.

Even when new owners Danny and Amir Aslam took over the restaurant operations from the Aliano family two years ago, there didn't seem to be cause for concern.

Generally, the place got good reviews and had loyal patrons. Sure, it had its usual social media channel detractors complaining about prices or service. But all businesses attract a certain percentage of negative feedback via those posts.

There didn't seem to be any fallout over a county health department inspection in 2012. And there shouldn't have been, as the restaurant was cleared of any connection with salmonella cases in the area, and the Aliano family voluntarily closed the restaurant for that inspection.

Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke said the city wasn't aware of any specific reason the restaurant closed.

"It just closed, like, overnight," he said. "But it would not surprise me if someone else in the restaurant business would take a serious look at it."

Schielke considers the spot a good location for another restaurant suitor because of its proximity to the Batavia Riverwalk and city band shell.

"The city has many new restaurants opening, and there is opportunity here now because of the construction work taking place at Fermilab on its new accelerator and some of the new apartment sites that could be close to downtown," Schielke said.

"Those developments draw people, and the downtown is going to have many different types of visitors and new residents looking for places to eat."

For the seniors:

With Greenfields in Geneva operating for years now and a new senior care center called Windmill Landings going up along Fabyan Parkway in Batavia, we certainly have some options for senior citizens looking to stay in this area.

We soon can add Silver Glen Senior Living to that mix. The shell of the 179-unit structure along Randall Road at Silver Glen Road is in place, so it shouldn't be too long before this will be another spot for senior citizens to consider.

That site will have independent and assisted living, memory care and transitional memory care programs in place.

Denver-based Spectrum Retirement Communities is building the site. It owns and operates more than 40 such communities across the U.S.

Just a wish No. 1:

I realize there is nothing that could be done about this, and maybe it was just a matter of me catching every red light on this particular morning when I was in a hurry.

But I wish there weren't six traffic lights between Bricher Road and Dean Street along Randall Road in St. Charles.

Just a wish No. 2:

After going to an Andy's Frozen Custard on Ogden Avenue in Naperville during a visit with our son and his wife, I was wishing one of these places was operating in the Tri-Cities.

The custard was delicious.

But I found the next best thing. There is one at 1150 S. Randall Road, between Bowes and Hopps roads, in Elgin.

That's a little easier to get to than Ogden Avenue in Naperville, so another visit to an Andy's Frozen Custard certainly goes on my to-do list.

dheun@sbcglobal.net