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Once bitten, now dry; hear from flood-prone business owners - Quad-City Times

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Some were there in 2019; others are new.

Four years after the record-setting flood on the Mississippi River in the Quad-Cities, downtown Davenport business owners say they have faith in the city's improved system of protection. The levee breach of 2019 made them wary, but this time is different, they say.

Ruby's Brats/Bikes and Lopiez Pizza

In 2019, brothers Andrew and Peter Lopez were readying to open their first pizza restaurant, Lopiez, on April 20.

The Mississippi River had other plans.

A record flood left a half-foot of water in the building at 429 E. 3rd Street, most of which bubbled up from the pipes. The brothers replaced drywall, repaired damage to the bar, and sterilized everything touched by the floodwaters.

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Next door at Ruby’s, it was a similar story: Water backed up from sewers, requiring renovations and a new air-filtration system.

“We closed for three months,” said Ruby’s co-owner, Chris Torres. “This became an island.”

In 2023, the two businesses' owners feel better than they did in 2019, they said.

Both restaurants shut off their plumbing with backstop valves before leaving each night, just in case. Concrete barriers with sandbags surround the northeast corner of the building to fend off floodwater from River Drive and 3rd Street.

“Every time we close, we’re shutting those bad boys, just so nothing obviously bubbles up through sinks, drains, toilets, what-have-you,” said Andrew Lopez.

Both are hoping to stay open through the river’s peak height, which is expected to come Monday.

Lopez, along with many other business owners, signed onto a letter in 2019, urging the city to take more permanent action on flood prevention. He wishes the city would build a floodwall, which city officials have not had an appetite for, due to the price tag, aesthetics, and resident opposition.

But the city has responded more quickly with flood protection this year and has been better with communications to businesses, he said.

“They’re doing everything they can from what I can see,” Lopez said. “I don’t ever want to lose this downtown location. It means so much to me. I’m born and raised here in Davenport, and it means a lot for me and my family that we’re here in downtown. My dad was raised as a kid two blocks up, and my grandpa’s lived his whole life up there, too.”

— Sarah Watson

Milltown Coffee temporarily closes in Moline: 'It kind of sucks'

Flooding along River Drive in Moline has temporarily closed Milltown Coffee at 3800 River Drive. 

Owner Cameron Cartee said he had a feeling on Sunday that the store would to need to temporarily close when the city closed River Drive. By Tuesday afternoon, it was clear he was right as floodwaters entered the parking lot.

“It kind of sucks, because this is kind of our take-off time from winter when things are slow for us,” he said.

Compared to the 2019 flood, when the coffee shop had water seeping through the foundation, Cartee said, workers were ready this time, placing sandbags in spots prone to seepage.

“We have a very good support system with all of our regulars, and my employees are extremely helpful and understanding,”  Cartee said.

— Grace Kinnicutt

Good news: The beer is safe

On a normal week, the 200 block of River Drive in Davenport is flooded with people. This week, it’s been different.

Friday, April 21, city crews began setting up HESCO barriers in the lower downtown, effectively creating a cul de sac out of Stompbox Brewing and Front Street Brewery, which are neighbors.

Stompbox, also home to Kitchen Brigade, opened in July 2021 after the previous restaurant, Roam, was largely destroyed by the HESCO breach of 2019 and didn't reopen. Joe Romebeck, manager of Stompbox, said moving into a space prone to flooding was a concern but a risk worth taking.

Romebeck said he was feeling “pretty confident” midweek in the new and improved barriers and said the city had, “learned form their mistake.”

More pumps helped ease his worry, he said, but the sewer backing up is something he’s concerned about, because it plagued many businesses in 2019.

“But, so far, so good,” he said.

Stompbox has 13 brews on tap currently, including a seltzer called Holy Water and a Mexican Lager named, When the Levee Breaks.

“Ironically, our flagship beer, a blonde ale called Flood Insurance — we just ran out of it for the first time in a while,” Romebeck said with a laugh.

Next door at Front Street Brewery, food and beer are holding up.

“This beer is never going to stop. Cherry Blonde Bomb will be here all day,” said manager Daniel Winter. "Right now, we’re not at the scary part yet. We’re hoping when it does peak, it goes right back down.”

The city has opened adjacent parking garages, which is helpful for businesses near the corner of River Drive and Perry streets, which are closed to traffic.

Getting customers in is a little trickier than normal, but sales have not been too bad, he said. Winter’s message was simple: Downtown businesses are still open, and the beer is still flowing.

– Gretchen Teske

Little flood disruption to Western Illinois University Quad-Cities campus

Western Illinois University (WIU) Quad-Cities officials kept flood levels in mind during the design phases of the Moline campus, given its direct riverfront location.

"WIU worked intentionally with architects and engineers during the campus design phase to ensure that WIU Quad-Cities campus buildings were situated above the 500-year floodplain," said Kristi Mindrup, Vice President of Campus Operations.

Mindrup said the campus’ north river-facing grounds were built as water retention basins to mitigate flooding. Still, the east parking lot — along 34th St. — does take on some water, so students and faculty are redirected to the south and west campus parking lots.

"During flood time, both Riverfront Hall and the Quad-Cities Complex buildings stay high and dry,” Mindrup said. “University Drive was added along the south side of campus when Phase 1 was built in the early 2010's to create a second point of campus access, so there is no disruption to WIU activity on campus during flooding."

— Olivia Allen

Trash Can Annie also optimistic

“We’re positive about what’s set up right now,” said vintage-clothing store owner Laura Heath. 

The business, housed in the same space as Ragged Records at 311 E. 2nd Street, hasn't set up sandbags or other flood prevention. 

Heath encouraged Quad-Citians to come downtown and support the shops and restaurants that are harder to reach during flooding but remain open and ready to serve. 

— Brooklyn Draisey

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